PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION
by ULYFERAL
Summary: Alien invaders have captured Aristal. What will the defenders do to win their freedom. Feral is the hero of the day but what price does he pay for it?
1. Chapter 1

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 1: Preparing for Possible Invasion

It had started out a fairly decent day, Feral was finally getting caught up on his paperwork in his office when the quiet was destroyed by multiple alarms going off.

He jumped up from his desk and ran to the elevator. As soon as he reached the communications floor he ran to the control room.

"Sir, alarms are going off at every alert center in the world. The observatory is the one responsible for setting it off. They warn a huge fleet of space ships has entered our solar system. They estimate their arrival in about six hours," the on duty officer said anxiously.

"Get me the one in charge at the observatory on the double," Feral ordered tightly.

"Yes sir," a young radio operator answered and picked up the phone and called. Moments later he was handing the phone to his superior, "Sir I have Dr. Landsdon on the line..."

Feral took the phone, "This is Feral, tell me what's going on and keep it simple." He listened attentively while Dr. Landsdon explained what they had observed just over half an hour ago.

"As is usual here, the telescope had been set to scan the heavens section by section. It sends an alert through the computer if it finds something odd or interesting. It alerted us about an hour ago. It takes a bit of time to disengage the telescope from its scanning duties to a specific viewing, that is why we are only now getting out the warning. We studied the images and discovered a fleet of some fifty or so space ships. We've been able to determine that they are headed our way but don't know if our planet is their destination. They'll reach us in about six hours." Dr. Landsdon said worriedly.

"Alright, I'll get the word out to alert all the military on the planet. We can't take any chances that they may be hostile and that we are their intended target. Keep a constant watch on them and inform my office immediately if they are heading for us and how close they are." Feral ordered.

"We are doing that sir. I have recalled all my colleagues to insure the telescope is manned at all times. Give me a direct number and person to contact so we can give you regular reports as they occur," the doctor responded.

Feral quickly relayed a contact and number then hung up.

"I want you to remain on duty and man this phone, insure it is kept free at all times for the doctor's reports. Use my cell to keep in contact with me on any developments," he ordered the duty officer.

"Yes sir!"

"I also want you to recall all enforcers to duty. Take us to alert status alpha immediately."

"Recall has been started, sir. Will go to alert status alpha!" The officer responded.

Feral nodded his approval then turned on his heel and hurried away. Though he really didn't want to leave while his forces geared up for a possible war, he was required to report this to the Mayor and with something this important, the phone wouldn't be secure enough.

Stopping by his office to grab his coat, he quickly made his way down to the lobby and to his enforcer sedan. He raced through the midday traffic using his siren to get through quicker. He arrived at the clock tower building within five minutes and hurried up the stairs and through the lobby. He hoped the Mayor was in and not at the golf course.

The elevator decanted him on the top floor and as he hurried down the hallway he came across the Deputy Mayor preparing to leave.

"Ms Briggs, stop!" He called to her racing up to her side.

"What's the problem, Commander," She asked frowning.

"There's been a planetary alarm activated by the observatory. Is the Mayor in?" Feral said tightly.

Callie looked at him in shock but recovered quickly, "Yes, he's in, luckily. Let's go!" She turned around and headed for the Mayor's door.

The Mayor was using his carpet as a putting green as he practiced his golf moves. He looked up in irritation when he saw his deputy rush in but was a bit concerned when he saw Feral come in behind her looking grim.

"Mayor Manx, there's been a planetary alarm called. Commander Feral has come here to tell us why." Callie said quickly.

Mayor Manx blinked in shock. Feral didn't give him an opportunity to say anything as he told them what he'd learned.

"Less than forty minutes ago, Dr. Landsdon and his team at the Megakat Observatory saw a fleet of space ships entering our solar system and apparently heading our way. He estimates they will be close to our world in about six hours. He doesn't know for certain if they intend to stop here but we must be prepared if they do." Feral reported grimly.

"Aliens????" Manx squeaked in terror.

Feral nodded unhappily.

"We don't know they are hostile yet, Commander!" Callie cautioned, trying to be positive.

"No we don't! But, Ms. Briggs, you'll pardon me for being pessimistic since our last encounters with aliens have not been friendly ones." Feral said drily. "We may hope they come in peace but we still have to be prepared that they might not be. I must get with the other military leaders on the planet and you must speak with the leaders so that we can be prepared for the worst as a united front. We haven't got much time," he warned.

"Yes...yes...you're right...oh...this is terrible...," Mayor Manx stuttered in fear as he went to his desk and prepared to speak to other government leaders.

Callie sighed and went to help him. Feral was right, they had to prepare for the worst. His duty done, Feral turned on his heel and hurried out. He needed to get back to Enforcer Headquarters and make his own calls.

As he drove back through traffic, his siren wailing, he realized there was someone else he needed to contact even if he thought they were nothing but trouble. There was no use denying the fact that the pair **were** better equipped than his enforcers and considering the size of the approaching aliens, he would need all the help he could find.

A shiver of premonition swept over him suddenly. He had a bad feeling that not even the SWAT Kats were going to be enough for what was coming. He was not normally given to such flights of fancy but he found he couldn't shake the feeling as he arrived at his building.

Running back inside, he found the place a beehive of increased activity. Before heading for his office, he paused at the radio room.

"Put me on an open enforcer frequency," he ordered the radio kat.

"Yes sir!" The officer said quickly. "You're on, sir!" He was told moments later.

"Attention SWAT Kats! An urgent matter has come up and you are needed at Enforcer Headquarters. Please report quickly so we can discuss what is going on. You are granted safe passage and will be escorted to my office. Be quick! Feral out!" He nodded at the officer then left for his office.

_Across town at a garage..._

Jake was leaning over an engine changing plugs as Chance was under a vehicle checking a brake line. They stopped suddenly when Feral's call came over the enforcer radio they had mounted above the work bench.

"What the heck?" Chance said rolling out from under the truck.

"Well that's weird. What could be so bad, Feral would be willing to call us?" Jake said in concern.

"Think it's a trap?" His partner asked as he got up from the floor and wiped his paws.

"I don't know. But can we really take a chance that it isn't something serious?" Jake answered hesitantly.

"No. I guess not. Okay, let's close up and get going." Chance sighed resignedly.

In very little time they were skyward and heading for Enforcer Headquarters. As Feral had promised they were not hassled. Lt. Commander Steele was waiting for them scowling but he didn't speak as he escorted them through the hangar and up to Feral's office.

Feral was in the middle of his fifth call when the SWAT Kats arrived in his office. He nodded at them and made a 'wait a minute' gesture.

He concluded his call and hung up. He looked at his antagonists as they stared at him suspiciously.

"Well, what was so important that you sent an all call for us." T-Bone said bluntly folding his arms across his chest.

"We've just learned a fleet of some fifty or more alien ships has entered our solar system and may be heading for us. We don't know their intentions, but our track record tells us we better prepare for the worst. I've just been on the phone with my peers in other countries. I still have many more calls to make but I needed to inform you of what's going on and how you can help us. This unknown fleet is expected to reach our planet within five hours." Feral told them bluntly.

"Crud! More aliens?" T-Bone said in angry disgust.

"Okay, you've got our attention. So what do you want us to do, Commander?" Razor asked tensely.

"You are able to go up past the stratosphere where my jets can't. I thought you could go up and have a look and see if you can determine our visitors intentions. Obviously, if they fire at you we know we're in trouble." Feral said heavily.

"That's for sure. Well we need to load up with armaments first and we will have to wait until they are closer before going up to meet them. Though we can get into space, we can't hang about too long. The Turbokat just wasn't designed for it." Razor said thoughtfully.

"I understand. The observatory is monitoring the fleet. They will tell us when they appear to be closing in on our planet. I'll call you immediately and that's when you will go up to meet them. Send an immediate radio call before you engage the enemy so that we can launch everything we have, that includes everyone on the planet, to join you before you're overwhelmed." Feral insisted, stressing the urgency of their cooperation in this operation.

"Understood. If they fire on us that clearly tells us their intentions and we'll give you a holler immediately while we do what we can to delay them." Razor acknowledged.

"Then we each have our jobs to do. Go to it. Good luck!" Feral said dismissing them.

"Yeah, you too Commander! Sounds like we're all going to need it!" T-Bone said grimly as he and Razor turned and left quickly.

As T-Bone flew them toward home, they discussed this unusual cooperation by Feral.

"Man, it's weird how Feral didn't hesitate to call us in. I think he's afraid and he has every right to be. Even with everyone on the planet in the air, I'm not sure we are ready for a full scale invasion from space." T-Bone said thoughtfully.

"I'm terrified myself. This isn't like facing Dark Kat. A fleet of ships could conceivably wipe out all life on our planet if that's their goal. To save the planet we all have to put aside our differences and work together and it's obvious that's exactly what he's doing. And I agree with you, I'm not so certain we are going to come out on top this time." Razor said worriedly.

"I'd say you were being too pessimistic, Razor, if I didn't feel shivers down my back about this whole business. I'm scared too." T-Bone said heavily as he guided the Turbokat into its hangar.


	2. Chapter 2

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 2: "Well They're not Here to Say Hello!"

The next few hours were nerve wracking for everyone. The SWAT Kats fine tuned and checked over their jet many times. Feral and his troops spent the time getting into position around the city. It was decided to not tell the populace because there simply wasn't time to evacuate and besides there was no where they could evacuate to.

What they did decide was to institute marshal law. All katizens would return to their homes except for police, fire, and medical. Close their doors and windows and not leave for any reason. The excuse they gave was a possible attack by Dark Kat.

Within a few hours, all katizens around the world were under cover or as much as their governments could get them to be. This reduced the amount of innocent bystanders interfering or being killed in the coming fight.

When the aliens were passing Aristal's moon, the observatory called Feral. He had been standing by in the control room and now began to bark orders in quick succession.

"Put me on all call!" He snapped to the radio kat, when he got the nod to speak, he gave a brief cryptic message, "Attention, SWAT Kats, this is your call to launch...I repeat...this is your call to launch. Feral out!"

"Switch me to channel nineteen," he ordered. The radio kat gave him the high sign and he barked into the speaker, "Attention all enforcer squadrons be prepared to move out on my order. Fighter squadrons to your jets and choppers then stand by for further orders." He listened as his flight commanders reported in then his ground forces.

Satisfied, he turned to his duty officer and gave another order, "Send out, on secured channel twenty-four, to all forces on the planet this message, 'Approach confirmed, standby to launch!' repeat it ten times then go to standby."

"Yes sir," The duty officer acknowledged. He went to another console and sent out the message.

While everything got into motion around him, Feral took out his cell phone and called the Mayor's office.

"Ms. Briggs, SWAT Kats are launched, stand by for further orders," He warned her.

"Standing by, Commander," Callie quickly acknowledged and hung up. She would sit by her phone and wait praying for a good outcome.

Feral began to pace the radio room anxiously. He hated this part...the waiting...but as he'd said earlier...no one could do this but the SWAT Kats.

_In a secret hangar..._

"There's our cue to go, buddy!" T-Bone said as he jumped into the cockpit.

"Roger that!" Razor said jumping into his seat.

Within minutes, the Turbokat shot out of its hangar and into the sky heading for space. It didn't take them too long to reach the stratosphere. T-Bone engaged the speed-o-heat shield before they broke through to airless space.

"Got them on the scope, T-Bone." Razor said tensely, then... "Oh God! There's so many of them! More than Feral was told."

T-Bone swallowed his fear as he asked, "Can you tell how many, Razor?"

"Over two hundred!" Razor choked.

T-Bone flew the jet in an oblique path from the approaching ships. He was sort of glad he couldn't see through the canopy because of the shield. He didn't think he wanted to actually see the fairly solid wall of space ships his instruments were showing.

"Heads up buddy, a few ships are making a beeline for us!" Razor warned preparing to fire his weapons.

Moments later the jet was rocked hard by an unknown force beam. T-Bone lost control for a few precious moments. The attackers kept pounding them as the burly pilot fought to regain control.

Despite their violently rocking motion, Razor fired at the ships managing to force them to back off but not causing any damage.

"Well they're not here to say hello!" T-Bone gritted out as he got the jet back under control.

"Run, T-Bone!" Razor ordered as he engaged his comm. "Aliens are hostile...repeat the aliens are hostile...launch...launch!" He shouted to Feral.

Over the radio every enforcer in the control room jumped when Razor's voice shouted at them over the sound of the Turbokat being attacked.

Squaring his shoulders, Feral barked out his commands in rapid fire, "Launch...everyone launch..." turning to his duty officer he snapped, "Notify all commands worldwide ...launch ...repeat ten times..." Next he speed dialed the Mayor's office. "Evacuate to the emergency bunkers Ms. Briggs our visitors are hostile."

"Understood Commander and good luck!" Callie told him then hung up. She went to the Mayor's office. All personnel had been briefed a while ago that when the alarm went off the doors would be shut tight and all personnel would head to the basement bunkers.

"Mayor Manx," she called as she walked into his office. She blinked in surprise, he wasn't there then she heard a noise. Sighing she went around his desk and looked underneath it. "Mayor Manx we have to activate the alarm and head for the basement now. The aliens are hostile," she told him.

"Hostile...oh no...we're doomed..." the Mayor wailed panicky. Callie sighed again and dragged on the mayor's arm to pull him out from under the desk then pushed him toward the elevator. She shoved him on and sent him to the basement then walked back along the hallway to the fire alarm...she quickly pulled the switch and the loud, pulsing alarm sang out. That done she continued on to her office. She had a few sensitive documents to lock away... doing that quickly, she grabbed her purse and some other personal things then joined the crowds going to the basement.

_Back at Enforcer Headquarters..._

Normally Feral would be jumping into his jet and leading his troops but this time he was required to stay at headquarters to coordinate the attack with his peers from other countries. Still, he hated not being in the forefront with his troops.

_High above the planet..._

The SWAT Kats had dived back into the atmosphere as fast as they could. They met up with the arriving forces, turned around and joined them. Soon a heated battle was going on in the air. Despite their more advanced armament, the Turbokat was barely holding its own while the enforcers around them were being picked off like flies that is until...

"Look out T-Bone," Razor cried as an incoming force bolt hit the jet near the tail successfully cutting their stabilizers sending them spinning to the ground.

T-Bone fought for control but the jet was too crippled.

"Eject, T-Bone!" Razor commanded and for once, T-Bone didn't argue. He growled in fury at the loss of his jet as he hit his ejection button and they shot up from their dying jet. Razor had notified the enforcers and Feral that they were out of the fight.

Using their seats abilities to fly and their weaponry to defend, they managed to fight off their attackers. The enforcers tried to cover their escape as well. The battle had passed close to the heart of the city so the SWAT Kats directed their seats to the Enforcer flight line figuring they might as well join Feral. Nothing they had in their hangar was going to be able to fight these deadly attackers.

At Enforcer Headquarters Feral was beside himself as he listened to the dismal reports coming in. Hearing the SWAT Kats jet had been destroyed was a bitter blow. He was grateful to know that they were alive and headed his way. They were good fighters and he could use them here. But most of his air forces had been decimated and, at last report, the enemy had now broken through and was battling the ground forces.

From all the reports he was getting, their weaponry was not having any affect on the enemy. The SWAT Kats hadn't been able to do more than disable a few before they were taken out. What was left of his fighters in the air were being forced to land by the aliens.

As the SWAT Kats joined him in his control room more reports flowed in from the ground forces and around the world. They were losing...and losing badly. As they listened anxiously, less than an hour after the battle had begun they were defeated.

Before Feral and what was left of the defenders in other countries could formulate a new plan, they soon learned the true danger wasn't from the attack but what the aliens did next that insured the complete surrender of the planet.

As soon as the creatures succeeded in landing they put an end to the fighting by laying down a psychic blanket that knocked everyone, within thirty miles of an alien ship, unconscious. Those with stronger minds suffered severe headaches. While they were all incapacitated the aliens completed their takeover.

The creatures resembled an upright praying mantis-like insectoid. They each carried some kind of small device that when focused on a group of katizens would send out psychic bolts that forced them to obey their captors. They were told in their minds to return to their homes and stay there or they would receive incapacitating headaches if they stepped out their doors.

Next the aliens, through methods no one could figure out, segregated from the common katizen, all the leaders, scientists, inventors, and tops specialists in many fields and geniuses. They were collected and placed in city hall with guards. The remaining military forces were collected and deposited at Enforcer Headquarters and also guarded.

This was how a large number of familiar figures ended up in one of city hall's large conference rooms on the floor of the Mayor's offices. The group was the strangest ever seen together. They included the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Feral, Lt Commander Steele, Professor Hackle, Hard Drive, Dark Kat, Dr. Sinian, Dr. Konway, Dr. Viper, Turmoil, Dr. Ohm, Dr. Greenbox, Dr. Langsdon and the SWAT Kats. Their colleagues were scattered throughout the building.

Though there was plenty of animosity against the criminal element amongst them, no one could threaten the other because of the ever present alien guards and their devices. They could talk but nothing else was allowed.

"Why are they holding us all here? And why'd the heck did they put those guys with us?" T-Bone growled as he glared at Dark Kat who was leaning against a wall with Viper and Turmoil nearby. Hard Drive was keeping to himself and staring out a window, his surge suit having been confiscated.

"All good questions, T-Bone. Unfortunately, the aliens won't give us any answers." Dr. Sinian said with a sigh.

"Hell, they won't even talk to us!" Feral said in disgust as he too glared at their enemies.

"I hate to say this, but it feels like they are waiting for something." Razor said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I think you may be right, Razor!" Dr. Sinian agreed. "It's quite possible that their leader isn't even here and that is who they're waiting for," she surmised.

"You may be right about that," Professor Hackle said unhappily.

"Uh!Oh! Don't look now but I think Dark Kat and crew are up to something," Razor said suddenly, staring hard at the criminals.

Everyone watched tensely as Dark Kat with Viper seemed to be trying to corner the aliens in some way. The next moment they struck, Dark Kat leaping at them and Viper using his tail to smack the device from their claws. It almost seemed they had succeeded when, with devastating suddenness, another group of aliens appeared and shot the pair with some kind of beam that disintegrated them.

Everyone went very still, as they absorbed the horror of instant death and the quickness of response from the aliens. Moments later, there was a quick migration of kats to the far side of the room away from the aliens. Whimpers and soft cries of anguished fear could be heard here and there.

Razor was the first to speak in a hushed voice, "Okaaay! That told us something we didn't know. It's obvious our lives aren't that important. If a few of us dies, it's no big deal."

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you," Feral grunted in dismay. Steele had moved to hide behind his commander and whimper. For once, Feral didn't scold him for his behavior because the kat was justified in his terror. Feral felt uneasy and afraid as well.

"I can't believe we're this helpless. It feels so wrong," T-Bone gritted between clenched teeth. He couldn't stand the fact that there was absolutely nothing they could do. He looked to where Turmoil was standing alone and met her stony expression. He could tell it was only for show because she was trembling a bit and her arms were tightly crossed over her chest.

Hard Drive had hidden himself behind a couch and was blatantly whimpering in terror while Drs. Greenbox, Langsdon, Ohm, Konway and Mayor Manx huddled together behind the conference table near the windows and far away from the guarded door.

Dr. Sinian, Callie, Feral, the SWAT Kats, and Professor Hackle stayed close together some ten feet from the aliens watching them alertly. Steele still huddled behind Feral.

They all wondered how long they would be waiting before something would happen. Nobody thought of trying to escape again. The lesson had been very effective.


	3. Chapter 3

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 3: The Aliens Make a Fatal Mistake

The kats imprisoned at city hall, were allowed to wander at will throughout the building. The guards simply wandered with them. There were always at least one guard for every twenty kats.

Food was brought in from outside and left for them to distribute among themselves. Piles of blankets and pillows were also provided. Most made up beds in the carpeted conference rooms throughout the building.

It had been a week since their incarceration and it grated on the defenders to just stand by and do nothing.

It was Razor with Professor Hackle's help that made the first attempt.

They put together what appeared to be a rather harmless looking device. Something like a flashlight. Using it, Razor and T-Bone had managed to knock out two of the guards but just like before...

"Yes! That's got them," T-Bone hissed in triumph as he made for the door that led down to the basement area where they hoped to escape through the sewer tunnels.

"Crud! T-Bone look out!" Razor shouted, too late, when a pair of guards appeared out of no where and pointed their devices at the SWAT Kats. Though they leaped out of the way, it didn't matter, the devices didn't need to be pointed at a target to be effective.

In moments they were huddled in fetal balls on the floor moaning in pain as their heads felt like they were going to explode. The guards simply left them there as they returned to their posts and the guards they'd knocked out recovered to watch them again.

Feral had been close by when they made their attempt and winced when they were taken out. He went to their sides when he realized the guards weren't going to stop him. The pair was in agony. He carefully picked up T-Bone and carried him back upstairs.

"Well, it seems Razor wasn't completely accurate, those things didn't kill them...just incapacitated them... thankfully. I guess some of us are valuable after all," Feral grunted as he lowered T-Bone to the makeshift bed on the floor.

"Well that's one piece of good news," Callie sighed. "How are we going to help them? Those things haven't allowed us any kind of meds." She said worriedly.

"An ice pack should ease it a bit," Dr. Konway said quietly coming up to them.

"Alright, I'll go get some," Callie said getting to her feet.

"I'll go with you Ms. Briggs since I have to retrieve Razor," Feral said quietly. She simply nodded and headed for the elevator to take them to the main lobby where the food was brought regularly. Feral left Callie to get the ice while he went for the last SWAT Kat.

When he came up from the basement area, he found Callie had waited for him. He nodded at her as he stepped into the elevator with a moaning Razor cradled in his arms.

Callie placed an ice pack on Razor's head and was rewarded by a hiss from the cinnamon tom.

"That must be a real winner of a headache," Feral said sympathetically for the suffering kat.

"Yes. I wonder how long it's going to last?" Callie asked rhetorically, sighing.

"I guess we will find out," he said resignedly.

They stepped out onto their floor and made their way to where T-Bone lay. Callie went to him and placed an ice pack on his head as Feral carefully laid his partner next to him.

"I'll monitor them while they recover," Dr. Konway said as he sat down on the floor next to the pair.

It took them two hours to recover. It had been a truly miserable experience and another sobering reminder of what the creatures were capable of.

It didn't deter Feral from making another attempt a few days later. The SWAT Kats were willing, despite their previous unhappy encounter, to help Feral make it to the basement.

"I still think you're crazy to try but I don't blame you for wanting to make the attempt," T-Bone said gruffly.

"You ready, Commander?" Razor asked as he and his partner prepared to be a diversion for the big tom.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Feral said heavily.

Unfortunately, the attempt was no better than everyone else's. Feral got to experience first hand just how bad the headache could be but unlike the SWAT Kats, he had experienced a strange shifting in his head. It stopped when the enemy turned off the device. It left him with a weird giddy feeling besides a throbbing head. Surprisingly, the SWAT Kats weren't punished with Feral. It left them more confused than ever.

"Ohhhh...," he moaned miserably, feeling nauseated as well as hurting.

"Here you go Commander, it's not much but it helps a little," Razor said keeping his voice soft as he placed an ice pack on Feral's forehead.

Feral couldn't muster a word of thanks but Razor could see the gratitude in his eyes.

Several more days passed when they noticed their guards becoming agitated. An excitement seemed to run through them. This made the prisoners very nervous.

"Somethings going on or going to happened," Razor opined.

"Maybe it's what they have apparently been waiting for all this time," Dr. Sinian said thoughtfully.

"You may be right. I hate this waiting. It's making everyone very nervous including me," Callie said tightly.

"Well, we can't do anything but wait and...Kat's Alive!...Look!" Feral shouted sharply peering out the window. Everyone turned to look and saw a large spaceship coming closer to them. As they watched it got larger and larger.

As it made a landing in Megakat Park they could see it was easily as big as a football field in size. Fear ratcheted up among the watchers. Whoever this was, it couldn't be good for them.

Everyone in the room clustered at the windows and watched tensely as the huge ship settled to the ground flattening many of the parks trees.

It seemed to take forever before a door opened and a ramp extended to the ground. A large group of creatures ran down the ramp and spread out in what Feral recognized as a protective half circle. Descending slowly and looking around was a creature far larger than the guards. It looked around as it moved toward city hall.

"So they were waiting for some kind of leader." Dr. Sinian whispered fearfully.

No one else said anything simply stared until the leader disappeared inside. They turned nearly as one to look toward the door. The more fearful ran and hid again behind the only couch in the room. The rest stood shoulder to shoulder, tense and fearful but unbowed.

The guards at the door seemed to come to attention and one of them opened the door and stepped back.

The tall, imposing leader stepped in. It was forced to duck its head a little to do so. The first thing everyone noticed was the creature's head was double the size of the guards. It's large multi-lensed eyes stared at them for a long time.

It made a buzzing, clicking noise with its front mouth pinchers to two of the aliens standing near it. They held the apparent conversation for some minutes before it ceased without warning. Silence fell over the room except for some soft whimpering heard behind the couch.

Before anyone could think to say something, demand answers, or rail at the leader, it froze them with the power of its mind. There were looks of horror and fury on the faces of the kats as they struggled futilely against it. Moments later it sent a psychic probe into all the minds around it searching for information. It cared not how much pain it caused while doing it.

Only their eyes revealed how much agony they were suffering because it had frozen their vocal cords as well. One kat, though, was having an altogether different reaction to being probed.

When the creature pushed into Feral's mind that weird shifting feeling happened again but this time something broke free and he felt a shock wave of energy pour from him shooting back to the alien. The feedback increased the pain they were all suffering but now the aliens were being included due to their connection to their leader.

The leader and it's guards were writhing on the floor making high pitched screeching noises. It was like one massive closed circuit loop. No one could break it and everyone was suffering because of it.

Into this chaos entered a small, older kat. He headed for Feral quickly. Placing his paws on Feral's bare arms, he reached into the mental chaos of Feral's mind and blocked the power, breaking the circuit. Blessed relief reigned, only the sounds of panting were heard. The kats had been released from their mental bonds and had collapsed in heaps on the floor except for the old kat.

The aliens were slowly recovering and trying to aid their leader who was sprawled apparently unconscious.

'_My apologizes, young one, but to defeat this terrible enemy you must allow me to take control of your power. It will hurt when I do this but you are our only hope.' _The old kat said softly in Feral's mind.

The sensation of having someone speak to him mind to mind sent shivers down his spine but there was no time for fear and Feral could sense this kat could be trusted. _'Do it!' _He answered the same way.

Accepting the grave responsibility of controlling another's mind the old kat moved behind Feral who had rose to his knees and sat on them. Keeping his paws on the big kat's head, the old kat took several deep breathes then prepared himself to handle this tremendous power.

Reopening the block he had placed in Feral's mind, he took control of the raw power as it poured out and sent it directly into the mind of the leader.

The alien leader was just recovering and attempting to rise to its feet when the power struck him. It screamed that same high pitched sound and was echoed by its minions. Feral jolted and moaned but kept himself still when he really wanted to scream again.

The old kat kept up the pressure against the alien mind until the creature shrieked and combusted instantly into ash as did all its minions. Once that happened, the old kat quickly pulled back the energy and put up a temporary block once more.

Feral fell forward into a dead faint, the old kat nearly doing the same as he slumped exhausted on top of the Chief Enforcer.

Silence fell as everyone stared blearily at the pair and at the remains of their enemies. They were too weak to rise to their feet as yet.

"Wow! What just happened?" T-Bone finally said, rubbing his head.

"It felt like some kind of psychic energy slapped the leader but it was out of control and caused some kind of feedback loop. We could have all died if it weren't for that old kat. I suspect Feral was the cause of the feedback," Razor mused thoughtfully.

"You're nuts, Razor! How could Feral have caused a feedback. That would mean he possesses psychic powers and we've never seen him do anything like that." T-Bone snorted.

"Razor's right, T-Bone. Though I was in a lot of pain, I could see what Razor saw. The old kat held Feral's head and it looked like he was directing power at the alien through the Commander." Dr. Sinian insisted as she slowly rose to her feet.

"This can only mean Feral is a descendant of an ancient clan of psychics. They were known for their healing skills as well as other psychic powers. They were pacifists, never taking sides. The clan has dwindled and is nearly extinct but their descendants do crop up in the gene pool from time to time. Unless they are trained, they are blocked when young to protect their minds. I can only hazard a guess that Commander Feral had been blocked when young but had never had the block released or been trained." She explained.

"If his powers were blocked when he was young and have remained blocked all this time then how did they suddenly reappear?" Callie asked as skeptical as T-Bone.

"Probably due to the mind probe the alien directed at us. It could have blown open the block and without training, the Commander had no control over it. The old kat apparently is a trained psychic who used Feral's power to defeat the creatures." Dr. Sinian said, certain she was on the right track.

"You are very astute, Dr. Sinian and a credit to your field. It is a pleasure to meet you despite the circumstances. I have heard much of your work," the old kat said straightening up and moving his legs to a cross-legged position obviously not ready to get to his feet.

"Your supposition is the correct one. This young male was indeed blocked at a very young age. While I was in his mind, I received glimpses of the procedure done to protect him. He might never have known about it since the block was very well constructed and for reasons unknown was never removed. Unfortunately, it can't be replaced so he must undergo psychic training. In his present condition he is a threat to himself and others." He said solemnly.

A groan nearby made them look at the big tom just waking up. Feral slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. He sat rubbing his temples and looking like he had a mega headache.

"My apologizes young one for causing you pain. If you come here I'll relieve it for you." The old kat said quietly.

Feral looked at him blearily. He was a bit leery of the old kat but the pain was intense so he moved slowly on his paws and knees toward the kat and sat cross-legged in front of him.

The old kat leaned up and placed his paws on the big kat's temples for just a moment then released him. Feral felt a brief flash of heat then the pain was gone, he gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He said softly then cocked his head and studied the old kat. "Who are you and why were you here at city hall?" Feral asked.

"My name is Kell McLeon. I'm assuming I was brought here due to my psychic powers. I am a guest lecturer of Herbal and Holistic Medicine at Megakat University but my home is the Tanloren Empire ." He answered simply. "It appears that fate has placed me here for another reason," he sighed ruefully studying Feral.

"Meaning me!" Feral grunted unhappily. 'My family has a lot of explaining to do.' He thought bitterly.

"You are far too powerful to be allowed to go on with your life as if nothing had happened. You must be trained." McLeon said firmly.

"Wonderful!" The big kat said grimacing sourly.


	4. Chapter 4

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 4: The Aftermath

The occupants of city hall discovered all the aliens had turned to powder when the leader did. Now they had a mess to clean up and new technology to study.

Feral, the SWAT Kats, the various scientists that had been with them, Ms. Briggs, Mayor Manx and McLeon went to look the giant spaceship over.

"I'm concerned that the creatures might come here to find out what had happened to their advance scouts," Razor said uneasily.

"Yeah, so am I. So how do we make it clear to them that they aren't welcome here?" T-Bone said tensely.

"By throwing up a psychic barrier around Aristal when they appear," McLeon said without batting an eye.

Everyone gaped at him.

"Uh, just how are we to do that? Feral is untrained you said but even if he was, he's only one kat and Dr. Sinian said your kind were nearly extinct." Callie asked for all of them.

"Oh we're not many, that's true, but numbers are not what counts. It's the power of the individual psychic that matters. A single psychic can be quite formidable as you witnessed by Commander Feral's uncontrolled power display. I will have to test him to determine just how strong his power is but just on this example alone, I can tell you he can protect all of Megakat City on his own." Mcleon said, no doubt in his voice or manner.

Now everyone gaped at Feral who looked just as stunned.

"So...what you're saying is, there are probably enough psychics on Aristal to defend us when or if these aliens attack again?" Razor asked a bit skeptical. "But if that's so how come the aliens managed to take us?"

"We were completely unprepared. The attack came far too quickly for us to mount any kind of defense. These creatures were apparently aware of our small population of psychics because they sought those with talent and incarcerated us. In this instance we were very lucky to have a blocked psychic protect us by accident." McLeon said soberly.

"But you say there might be enough powerful psychics to prevent a repeat?" Razor persisted.

"At this moment, I can't answer that but I will find out. A meeting with those that know is in order and I will do that immediately. I will also have to take Commander Feral with me for a little while. He must receive enough training immediately to at least manage shields and how to control his power. I'm holding it for him now but that is a strain for me. I am sorry that I must take him when it is obvious his skills at organizing and managing his enforcers to restore order is sorely needed right now but it can't be helped." McLeon said apologetically.

Mayor Manx was appalled, "But...but...my citae is in near ruins. It will take everyone's help to restore it to normal!"

"We are not the only country that has suffered, Mayor. We need to get reports on how the other leaders faired and if they are safe too and that there are no aliens left." Callie said urgently.

"Oh no! You don't think there might still be other creatures on the planet?" Mayor Manx said in fright.

"Calm yourself, Mayor Manx. I can assure you that the aliens have all been destroyed." McLeon said quietly.

"Huh! Just how could you know that for certain?" Feral said in disbelief.

"The power the leader wielded told me he was the main force behind the attack. The guards had no real mind at all. Believe me I tried to influence them when I first encountered them but there was nothing to touch. However, I could detect a more powerful mind behind them and I was proven correct when the leader finally appeared. However, it doesn't hurt to check, certainly." McLeon said equitable.

"I'll feel better if we do!" Callie said with feeling. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Sighing in resignation, Feral asked, "Do you think I could at least get my enforcers started on this mess and give orders as to what to do with this thing? I need to brief my second as well.

"Yes, though there is little time, I know you must do this. I will have to stay by your side though to maintain the block in your mind." McLeon answered.

Grimacing, Feral simply gestured to an enforcer vehicle miraculously intact and walked toward it. As they left the area, the SWAT Kats decided to make their way to their hidden base to obtain one of their other vehicles since the Turbokat was gone.

"We'll go take a look around the city, Mayor Manx and let you all know how things look," Razor told them as the two departed.

"Thanks you two!" Callie called after them. Turning back to the Mayor and scientists she said, "Well I'm sure Pumadyne will want to take this thing apart and see how it works. Commander Feral will get things moving toward clearing streets and taking census of the katizens to see how many we've lost and who needs help." She paused to sigh, "It's going to be a lot of work and long hours to return the city to a bit of normalcy."

Everyone nodded agreement and dispersed to take care of their own affairs while, Callie told the Mayor to go home to rest while she got started on the long road to restoring the city.

Driving to Enforcer Headquarters, Feral tried to reach his radio room. He was relieved when a voice responded.

"Commander Feral!? Are you alright sir?" Came the concerned voice of his duty officer.

"Yes! As near as we can determine, the aliens have been destroyed. Put out an all call so that I can give new orders to help the city recover." Feral ordered. "I'm on my way there now."

"Yes sir! See you when you get here, command out!" The officer responded in relief.

"You are very efficient and thorough, Commander. You are going to need those skills as we train your mind." McLeon observed.

Feral winced at that but didn't respond. He had far too many things on his mind right now.

McLeon watched, impressed as Feral took command upon returning to Enforcer Headquarters. The older kat sat at a desk out of the way, no one paid him any attention as they focused on their leader. Everything that needed to be done to restore the city and protect its katizens was quickly set in motion, no detail was ignored as Feral fired off his orders to his squadron leaders in a brisk and efficient manner.

When he'd given everyone their orders, he sat down at a control center and began calling his counterparts in other countries to get updates. Except for a few instances, this went as smooth as could be expected after a war had ended. If he couldn't get a report he simply left his own and gave a contact when someone could return the information.

More than two hours later, he had things humming along and his second had been briefed but not given very much about his Commander's intended absence.

"I can't tell you how long I'll be gone. Just collect all data on the city's progress toward restoration on the enforcer's end and get it off to the Mayor's office as soon as possible. Give Ms. Briggs updates as often as you're able. I know she'll be working late. The SWAT Kats are going to cruise the city and check for anything unusual and will call in a report. Don't give them a hassle and you be the one to take their report, thank them and tell them to go home and rest. Also, since they are without a jet, give them one in the repair bay. Razor won't take long to revamp it into a new temp Turbokat. They are our only watchers next to the observatory to monitor another visit by the aliens. Which reminds me, call the observatory and make sure they have a rotating staff monitor the screens for the area the aliens came from. We won't be surprised a second time." Feral said grimly.

Steele chewed his lip as he wrote notes to himself of Feral's orders. The near loss of their planet had straightened him out quickly. He had learned fast how to take orders and give them properly if they were to survive. He now had a good grasp of just how important the Chief Enforcer's job was and had a greater respect for Feral's ability to manage it. It was a heavy responsibility, one he realized he wasn't completely ready for yet. He nodded his understanding of his orders and saluted his Commander smartly before leaving to begin carrying them out.

Finally satisfied, Feral looked for McLeon and spotted him sitting quietly out of the way. He still felt uneasy leaving now but he'd done as much as he could to ensure things would run alright while he was gone. He hadn't missed how much Steele had improved since this whole thing started and he was relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about his second handling the job efficiently.

"Well, that's it! Shall we go where ever it is you say we have to go?" Feral addressed the old kat.

McLeon got up and headed for the door without a word.

As they climbed into Feral's sedan, McLeon finally spoke. "I suggest you go to your apartment and pack a small personal bag while I make some phone calls." He instructed.

Feral just nodded and pulled out into traffic. Soon he was speeding toward his apartment. There wasn't much traffic yet as katizens weren't aware they were safe yet. By nightfall, the word would have reached everyone, hopefully, and by tomorrow the city should be humming.

He rolled into his parking garage some ten minutes later.

"Lock your vehicle, you will not be needing it." McLeon said as he got out. Feral had a puzzled look on his face as he secured his vehicle. He led the way to the elevator and they ascended to the fourth floor. As he quickly packed a small carry bag, the old kat had told him no uniforms, McLeon was making some rather cryptic calls.

Thirty minutes later they were going back down to the lobby and out to the sidewalk. Waiting was a taxi. Feral was kinda surprised to see one this soon but taxi drivers were a hardy bunch of kats so he was happy to see this sign of things returning to normal. They climbed in and McLeon gave the address for the Megakat University campus. Feral frowned but held his questions for when they were alone.

The drive was about thirty minutes when the taxi reached within a block of the entrance to the University. McLeon suddenly called out and told the driver to go on a half mile further to a specific back road. The driver grunted an acknowledgment and continued on to the desired turnoff. As they drove down the designated road, Feral could see it was lined with huge trees. Some five minutes later the road ended in a cul-de-sac of small cottages. McLeon directed the driver to one set back a bit from the road on the left.

They climbed out and McLeon paid the driver. He lead the way up the pathway to the front door and unlocked it. He gestured Feral to enter then followed him and closed the door.

The room was cozy. Comfortable chairs were set around the space and in one corner was a fireplace. A small hallway was through one door and he could see the kitchen through another.

"Nice digs!" He complimented.

"They belong to the University and rented out to visiting professors and lecturers. They are rather nice and quite comfortable. Come I'll show you where you will be staying." McLeon said leading the way down the small hallway. "Here is the bathroom and the room across from it is yours. Mine is at the end. You'll find bedding and towels in your closet."

"Thank you!" Feral murmured stepping into the small room. The bed was a queen fortunately as he dropped his bag onto it.

"Why don't you get settled while I check my home and prepare us something to eat. It has been a long day. You may take a shower if you wish." McLeon told him.

"That's a wonderful idea. It'll help relax me." Feral agreed readily.

McLeon smiled warmly and left for the kitchen.

A little while later they were finishing soup and sandwiches in the living room and talking about what each had suffered under the alien's control. Feral offered to take the dishes to the kitchen and clean up, McLeon willingly let him, too tired to do much more.

Some thirty minutes later, Feral returned to find McLeon listening to soft music with his eyes closed. He snapped them open when Feral sat down across from him.

"Tomorrow we will begin your testing. For now I need to show you how to shield so that we both can get some sleep. Please close your eyes. I want you to visualize a strong wall. You may make it of anything you want, wood, cement, brick, steel...whatever you choose you must use consistently and, with practice, it will become second nature to erect it and keep it up without effort. Now do it!" McLeon ordered.

Feral blinked then closed his eyes and tried to do as instructed. He decided on an anthracite wall. It was the strongest he knew. It took him a while to build it but soon he had a glittering wall surrounding him in his mind.

"_Very good! An excellent choice. So now let's see how strong it is!"_McLeon said in his mind just before he slammed a psychic bolt against the wall. Feral jerked in shock and lost his concentration. His wall crumbled and he cried out in pain. McLeon ceased his attack instantly.

"You must not lose concentration no matter what!" McLeon barked. "Try it again!"

Rubbing his temples and giving the old kat a dirty look, Feral again built his wall. He was forced to hold it for a good ten minutes before McLeon again shot a thought bolt at it. This time he held onto it though he still felt a little of the bolt get through.

For the next hour, McLeon pounded his wall until he could hold it firmly and not let it leak. He was exhausted when they finally stopped another hour later.

"You have done well for your first lesson. Let's go and get some rest now." McLeon said heavily. Rising stiffly from his seat, McLeon headed for his bedroom, his student tirededly following him.


	5. Chapter 5

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 5: International Aristal Protection Agency ( IAPA)

The International Aristal Protection Agency takes care of things that could destroy the world, be it alien or kat. They are responsible for monitoring the various governments on the planet in their attempts to handle possible planetary scale problems and when they can't IAPA steps in to take care of it for them. They are made up of top level scientists, inventors, strategists, spies, financiers, astronomers, and militarily trained leaders. They use only the latest technology as well as the best trained psychics on the planet.

When the aliens attacked on three different occasions in Megakat City they were there monitoring the situation. When Megakat City found a way to handle it themselves, the agent would get all the details and the information would be filed away in IAPA data banks in case it was needed again.

This last incident, however, had nearly killed their agent from the alien's mind blasts then again from the unidentified and unregistered psychic. Agent Reon had to find this psychic and quickly. A force that strong had to be assessed and trained by the agency and registered. An untrained psychic was a danger that could not be ignored.

He'd been in the city for two weeks and still had not been able to find the unregistered psychic. This was unheard of. He was usually able to find out all the details of an incident within hours of it occurring but everyone that he could find that had been there when the alien leader was destroyed were unwilling to speak of it and wouldn't allow him to see them at all.

The Mayor's office only released the information that the enemy was gone and for katizens to go back to their normal lives. No amount of prodding by the news crews could get anything, not even from the pompous Mayor Manx himself.

This level of secrecy was unprecedented in a city like Megakat. When the aliens attacked no one was told of the invasion, only asked to remain in their homes due to a possible major omega attack. The katizens railed at city hall for keeping them in the dark but Mayor Manx told them there had not been time to evacuate the city and they had hoped the katizens would be safer confined to their homes. It turned out they had been right...luckily.

So here he was still trying to piece together exactly what had happened at city hall and who had destroyed the aliens. As he sat in his rental car, he received an alert over his high tech radio eavesdropper that the enforcer's had received a call about an omega. He decided to tag along.

When Darius Reon arrived on the scene, he saw the enforcers with Feral in the lead storming a lab with vines waving out the windows...Viper again...Reon sighed as he got out of his vehicle, deciding to just watch from the street. Predictably, the SWAT Kats arrived soon after and in about twenty minutes the whole business was wrapped up. Feral exited the building scowling as usual and the Turbokat departed the area.

Feral had been the only kat he hadn't been able to approach to interview as he had all the others. He watched the tom give his enforcre orders.

Reon began to move closer to the Commander when he detected another psychic nearby. Curious he carefully sent out a tentative probe...a sort of...'Hi, who are you?'...and was promptly hit with a rebuff that was so strong it sent him to the pavement on his ass. His head was throbbing as he struggled to his feet again.

Before he could get his wits about him, Commander Feral was suddenly there yanking him up by his shirt. "Who the hell are you and why were you poking in my head?" He hissed, in a low angry voice.

Reon blinked in shock. This close to the Commander he could detect the powerful psychic energy that was leaking around an unskilled mind shield.

"What the hell is a untrained psychic doing being the Chief Enforcer of this city?" He spit back, keeping his voice low, furious that this kat was on the loose with this much power.

Feral blinked in shock then his face reddened further, "And just who are you that you would know that?" He snapped, a bit defensively.

Reon looked around them and saw a curious audience not to close to overhear but near enough nonetheless. "I think this conversation needs to be in a more secure setting don't you think, Commander." He said coldly.

Feral noted the crowd and acknowledged the stranger had a point. He released the kat but shoved him toward his cruiser. Reon didn't protest the treatment even though he was pissed. He could retrieve his rental later. He held his peace when Feral climbed into the cruiser and headed for Enforcer Headquarters.

They never spoke during the drive nor the walk into headquarters and up to his office. There Feral showed sense enough to tell his secretary, 'no visitors or calls', then locked his office door before confronting Reon.

"Alright, just who are you and what gave you the right to invade my mind?" Feral demanded glowering at the agent. He hadn't bothered to take off his jacket and stood with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

Angry as he was, Reon couldn't help a brief twinge of attraction for the powerful tom. Shaking himself mentally for thinking such things now, he prepared to put the handsome tom in his place.

"First of all, I wasn't trying to **invade** your mind. If you were trained, you would have known that I was simply sending a greeting to a fellow psychic. A **trained** psychic would have greeted me back and invited me in or gently denied me entry but never attack like you did. Secondly, I'm an agent of the International Aristal Protection Agency and I was sent here to see if your city could handle the invaders before we stepped in. I was incapacitated by the aliens assault then by you who apparently destroyed them. Now under the authority granted me by IAPA I demand to know how you have remained unregistered into adulthood with a power level of at least ten and untrained." Reon demanded.

Feral blinked at him in shock. "Some ID please." He said bluntly hiding his discomfort.

Reon produced his ID and handed it to Feral. He studied it a moment and paled a little. He handed the ID back and turned away trying to regain his composure as he removed his coat and hung it up.

Turning back to Reon, he stared at him a moment then gestured to a conversational area. He led the way and they sat across from each other.

Gathering his thoughts, Feral didn't speak for several minutes. The conversation he'd had a few days ago with his father came unbidden to his mind.

_It still infuriated him that his family had hid something so important from him. When McLeon had taught him the basics of keeping his power locked and his mind shielded, he had let him leave but had set up a training session he wasn't allowed to deviate from. The past two weeks had been grueling as McLeon had put him through countless tests. His head would ache after every session. He was really hating it. On his first free day from McLeon's tormenting tests and his work, he made a fast run to his family's estate outside the city. _

_There he confronted his father. His patriarch frowned at him for his impertinence in interrupting an important business discussion with his accountants when his youngest son burst into his office without being announced._

"_I need to speak to you now, father!" Ulysses Feral snapped then to insure his father wouldn't send him away he sent a mental message,__**'You have much to answer for!' **__His father's eyes widened in shock. _

"_If you gentlekats will excuse us. It seems a family crisis has come up. Please return in an hour." He ordered his accountants. With many a puzzled look at the infuriated Chief Enforcer, they left the room. When the door closed behind the last one, Feral lit into his father._

"_I've recently had my mind pummeled by an alien. Both it and I learned that hadn't been a very good idea as it released the block on my psychic energies nearly killing me, all the kats in the building with me as well as the aliens. If it hadn't been for a trained psychic being in the building all of us would have perished. What I want to know is...why wasn't I told what I was? I've been told my powers were blocked at a very young age for good reason but not being told when I was old enough to understand...even my trainer doesn't understand." He told his father tautly, his eyes demanding answers._

_His father sighed and leaned back in his comfortable office chair. He eyed his son uncomfortably. This was something he had hoped never to have to confront. He'd been assured the block would never fail but then no one could have foreseen aliens undoing it._

"_You were dying, Ulysses. The psychic power you possessed was so powerful and you were so young when it manifested that we were certain you would perish or be killed. You rendered the entire household out cold as well as yourself when you were barely five years old. In self defense, we had a skilled psychic install a block in your mind. It worked and you were able to grow up to adulthood without hurting others. You were such a literal kitten, things like psychics, the paranormal, etc., you simply refused to believe in. It was thought better for your overall mental health to not inform you of this hidden talent." He told his son. "There was no way anyone could have foreseen some outside force would break the block. As you can see, you lived a long time without knowing about it and probably would have died never knowing." He spread his paws in supplication. "We did what we thought was best for you."_

_Feral slumped then took one of the chairs before his father's desk. "I'm sorry father. I guess I can understand why you did it but it still was a great shock to me when my own mind nearly killed me and others I am sworn to protect. To know I'm a threat to that very tenant is unsettling," he admitted unhappily._

"_I can't even begin to imagine what you suffered, my son. However, I am proud that you did save us from that horrible menace. No word had reached us as to how we survived those creatures so I'm very glad it was a Feral that had done the job." His father said warmly with pride beaming from his face._

_Feral smiled back weakly. "Yeah, well, it was totally unintentional, I assure you. The training is grueling and I'm truly hating it but I know I don't have any choice."_

"_I'm glad someone has taken you under their wing in this. You're right, you have no choice. You are very powerful, Ulysses. I only hope this teacher is up to the task for everyone's sake." His father said gravely._

"_He's pretty good, Father." Ulysses reassured him. "I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting but I needed answers. I'd better be going, I've got things to do."_

_His father stood up and came around his desk. Feral stood up as his father approached him and gave him a hug. "Be safe my son. Try and see us a little more often under better circumstances, would you?" He scolded gently._

"_You know I try, Father." Feral sighed then released his father and left to return to the city._

He focused his attention on the present once more as he hesitantly responded to Agent Reon's question.

"I don't know much, really. I wasn't even aware I was psychic until the alien leader penetrated my mind. The pain was incredible and I felt all this power pouring out of me. I didn't know how to stop it. It was hot flame in my brain and I barely registered all the others screaming as well then this old kat walked into the room and took control. He reached into my mind and told me to let him in so that he could help me. What choice did I have...he apparently restored the block that had been placed in my mind when I was very young...the pain stopped...but then he asked me to let him use my power to destroy the alien...he said only I had the ability to do it but not the training...I could sense that I could trust him so allowed him to remove the block again...which hurt...and he used my energy to destroy the creature then blocked my power once more. He's been training me but I apparently have a lot to learn." He said ruefully.

"You certainly do and you possess an unprecedented amount of power." Reon said sighing. He sat back and studied Feral for several minutes digesting this information.

"Who is your trainer? We have no record of any psychic over a level three in your city and he would have to be at least a ten to help you and there are not many of those alive right now." Reon said thoughtfully.

"His name is Kell McLeon." Feral told him.

Reon's eyebrows rose up in surprise, "Kell! He's here? But he doesn't live in Megakat City!"

"No, he doesn't. He is lecturing at Megakat University. When the aliens attacked, they took him because of his psychic abilities." Feral explained. "Come to think of it...if you're psychic as well how did you avoid being captured and how did my inadvertent attack on it affect you?" He asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"I'm not really sure why I wasn't taken. I can assume that I wasn't as powerful as they needed. What I'd been able to learn was all lesser psychics had been confined to their homes. As for feeling your attack, all psychics heard and were affected by you. That's how powerful you are. As for normal kats, a psychic can affect them within a certain distance from them depending on their level of ability. The fact that you could affect an entire building is rather frightening." Reon said soberly. "So Kell stopped the attack by using your power?"

Feral swallowed his shock at that piece of news so was a bit distracted when he answered, "Uhm, yeah. We were very lucky that he was there. No telling what might have happened."

"Everyone your power reached including youself would have died." Reon said flatly.

Feral shuddered in suppressed horror as he remembered being told that by Kell .

"Well Kell certainly saved the day but he failed to notify us of your existence." He said irritably then he stood up looking down at Feral. "Alright, take me to Kell now. We need to have a talk...all three of us."

Feral sighed, obviously he would get nothing done today. He stood up and walked back to his coat putting it on. He unlocked his door and told his secretary he would be gone the rest of the day. As they left the building, Feral used his cell to contact Kell and ask him to meet them at his assigned quarters at the University. Kell, fortunately, had finished with his days work and agreed to be there when they arrived.

Agent Reon climbed into the passenger side as Feral did the same on the driver's side. He moved them out into traffic and headed for the University.


	6. Chapter 6

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 6: Rejection

They arrived at the quiet University located on the north side of the city near the forest. Kell's temporary quarters were a little cottage set at the edge of the forest with a group of other similar cottages scattered nearby.

Feral walked up to the door but it opened before he could knock. Kell looked mildly concerned at Feral but then spotted Reon behind him. He frowned unhappily but stepped back and gestured for them to enter.

The living area was small but warm and comfortable. Kell sat down on an overstuffed chair near the fireplace while Feral and Reon took their seats in other similar chairs.

"I shouldn't be surprised to see you here Darius but to see you with my pupil **is** a surprise." Kell said quietly.

"I've been trying to determine who the unregistered level ten psychic was that took out the alien, Kell. You know you should have reported him to the agency as soon as possible." Reon scolded the master.

Kell eyed Darius narrowly. "I did not wish to have the agency intrude until I've had time to assess Ulysses' abilities. Which you would have had me do anyway. Why the hurry?"

"Because I was here to monitor the situation and you know we have to make a report of things like this. I've wasted more than two weeks trying to attain the information I needed to close this case and you had the information I needed all long." Reon said irritably.

"Forgive me then. I am not used to all the fuss involved with these things. As it is, you have found out that my pupil is the one who defeated the aliens and that he is under a trainer's care. Is there anymore you require to close your report?" Kell asked politely.

"For my part of it...no. However, I can't say if the agency won't want more from you on this individual. Can you tell me his exact level for my report?" Reon said taking out his notepad and pen.

"I haven't completed all my tests. Ulysses needed to recover from the attack. His mind was in too much pain to be interfered with at the time. I've only just begun my assessments this past week. So far he tests beyond ten but how far..." Kell shrugged his shoulders, " I'm not prepared to say."

Reon paused in his note taking to stare at Kell open mouthed. He snapped it shut quickly but still shook his head, he was uneasy, "Kell, that isn't good news. If he's rating out that high, they will insist that he be taken to the agency's lab for further testing and to prevent any accidents from occurring. Plainly, he's too dangerous to be left running loose." He said grimly.

Feral gaped at Reon, "What do you mean I'm dangerous? I've protected this city for years and have never done anything to threaten it."

"You can now! You have so much power it's frightening. You have a bad habit of losing your temper...add in your untrained psychic abilities and you are a recipe for disaster at an unprecedented level that would exceed anything Dark Kat could do." Reon said flashed back.

Feral felt as if he'd been slapped hard in the face. But before he could say anything in his defense, Kell interrupted.

"He's only a threat because he has no anchor." Kell stated mildly.

"Anchor?" Reon choked in shock. "Kell we haven't had a psychic so powerful that he or she required an anchor for more than a century. You're just making my case here even more plain. He's too dangerous." Reon said tightly.

"And you think putting him in a null lab will be better? You will destroy him." Kell said sharply. "He has done nothing to deserve that except to be born with this ability which can be controlled with an anchor. He is an integral part of this city's defense. You would sanction leaving it in the paws of incompetents knowing the threats this city faces on a regular basis?"

"I'm not the one who must make this decision Kell. The director is. I understand your stance on the null labs. I didn't like them much either." Reon said sympathically. "But no matter how we feel about it, I know they will put him in the lab until they know he's safe."

"And exactly how will they do that? He can't possibly meet his compatible mate locked in the lab which means he will never leave it." Kell said harshly.

Reon felt uncomfortable. He could see the growing horror on Feral's face. The null lab was awful for a psychic. It felt as if you had some vital part of you cut off. Only empaths got relief as it blocked all the emotions that bombarded them daily, but others like Feral would go starkers. He knew Feral was a born leader if a little stiff-necked and a bit inflexible but he had the respect of his troops. This city would indeed suffer at his loss.

"What would you have me do, Kell?" Reon said finally, at a loss.

"Delay your report." He said firmly. "Give the Commander time to find a compatible mate."

"Oh come on! Do you know how long it might take him? I know for a fact he hasn't even dated since he became upper rank enforcer. How is he to find a mate when he doesn't even know how to get along with kats enough to date them." Reon said in disgust then glanced over to the now scandalized enforcer. "Sorry Feral, but you have the worst personal skills I have ever seen."

Feral growled angrily, but Kell shushed him with a warning thought which made him startle and rub his temple.

"Well then, perhaps you should teach him, Darius." Kell said silkily. "You portray the playkat with such ease, I've noticed. It should be a piece of cake to show Feral the ropes, so to speak."

"What! You're joking!" Reon said in shock. But he could see Kell was deadly serious. "No, absolutely not!"

"And why not? It's too great a challenge for you?" Kell asked scathingly.

"For one thing, I prefer males... as you well know..." Reon began sulkily.

"So does he, though he's only recently admitted it to himself." Kell said blandly hiding a smirk.

"What!" Reon jerked his head toward Feral and stared, "Oh God! No way...a closet case is even worse!"

Feral reddened and jumped to his feet in fury. "I will not sit here and be insulted and have my personal life paraded out for all to hear." He hissed unwittingly releasing a small bolt of energy toward Reon in his anger.

Reon reacted instinctively by catching it before it could blast through his shields, dispersing the energy harmlessly. He realized he was on his feet as well though he didn't remember getting up.

Kell sat very still, watching them both through narrowed eyes. "Perhaps you won't have to look far for a compatible partner for him after all, Darius. It seems fate has decided for you both."

Feral and Reon turned toward Kell and gaped at him. They were both still shakened by what had just happened and Kell's statement kept them reeling.

"Are you saying I'm his compatible mate??" Reon finally managed to blurt out.

"You blocked his power and effortlessly dispersed it without really thinking about it. Only a mate can do that with impunity. When I do it during training, it's a strain for me to block because of the tremendous power he generates." Kell said simply.

"Aw shit! This just gets better and better all the time." Reon moaned in horror as he sat rather heavily in his seat and buried his head in his paws.

"Are you saying this complete stranger is my mate?!!" Feral said totally scandalized.

"Please sit down Ulysses," his teacher told him firmly. Feral nearly disobeyed, thinking he needed to really get out of here. Before he could actually form a conscious decision to do just that his teacher slapped him with a disciplinary psychic bolt. Feral hissed in unhappy surprise and sat quickly.

"Oh joy! And just how often do you have to do that?" Reon said flatly not bothering to raise his head since he had felt the slap when it's residual energy bounced off Feral's incomplete shielding to him proving he was indeed Feral's mate as his mind automatically and easily dispersed the energy.

"Only when he gets stubborn." Kell said mildly, hiding his amusement at fate's amazing ways to wreck havoc with kat's lives.

"I don't enjoy being discussed as if I were a small kitten." Feral grumbled furiously.

"Then stop acting like one!" Reon snapped lifting his head and glaring at the damnably stiff-necked and stubborn tom. "Crap! I just don't see how we are going to get along when all I see is a kitten with a hot temper and a whole lot of dangerous power," he snorted in disgust.

"Unfortunately, you have both gotten off to a poor start by meeting under these trying conditions. You will have to take it slow and work up to just tolerating each other first." Kell advised shaking his head. "I'm afraid you will be taking a long leave of absence from the agency," he added quietly and wasn't surprised when he was met with a hiss of anger.

"No way! I have a job to do. My duty here is finished. I have a report to complete and turn in." Reon said through gritted teeth.

"Your duty is here, Darius. But go ahead and return to IAPA and make your report. I expect to see you returning here sooner than you think." Kell said with unshakable certainty.

"I'll just do that!" Reon said coldly as he got to his feet and made for the door. "I sincerely hope we don't see each other again Commander, it's been real."

The door slammed shut behind the angry agent leaving Feral fuming in helpless frustration and his teacher staring at the door thoughtfully.

"Since you are here, Ulysses, we may as well continue our lessons." Kell said calmly.

Feral scowled but knew any protest on his part would be met with deaf ears. He settled himself and prepared to have a pounding headache by the time he was through.

Some hours later, he returned home and downed several tablets of aspirin to ease his aching head. Though Kell relieved much of the pain there was still enough to leave him uncomfortable.

He stripped his clothes off and laid down in his darkened bedroom. He was hungry but had no intention of putting food in his stomach with his head hurting so bad. He wished he could turn off his mind as well but unfortunately, his thoughts were filled with a certain tall, lean, flame colored kat with snapping blue eyes and copper hair. He shifted uncomfortably at where his thoughts were heading.

He still smarted from Reon's rejection which he thought made no sense. He should hate the arrogant IAPA Agent but he couldn't shake the memory that Reon was supposed to be his mate and how that made him feel. He'd been so lonely for so long. He'd convinced himself that he didn't need anyone and kept himself too busy to notice the emptiness of his soul. Now fate had dropped a mate into his lap but the male in question rejected him. It hurt! God help him...it hurt!

He ignored the tears that fell as he drifted to sleep.

On a plane somewhere over the ocean, Reon stared at his reflection in the window beside him. How had this happened? He had come here on a mission and was now returning with a report of a powerful, untrained psychic and that he was the male's mate.

He hadn't plans to be tied down to anyone at this point in his life. How could this have happened and to a stubborn, irritating tom to boot. He'd observed the Commander for many years. He was an excellent leader militarily but he hadn't been kidding when he said the dark tom was abysmal at personal skills. His enforcers respected but didn't love him. He was just too cold and unbending to gain that kind of loyalty.

He'd always hoped that when he found that perfect someone, it would be a person who complemented him, who liked the things he liked and would provide him the stabilizing and soothing home he needed after returning from missions tense and hurting. What he didn't need was a personality that was prickly in the extreme with abilities greater than his.

He could only see sparks flying between them on a constant basis. One or both of them would burn out very quickly under that unrelenting strife. How could he be this tom's mate? Staring into the night sky passing by he found no answers.


	7. Chapter 7

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 7: The Pastmaster has a Plan

Arriving at IAPA Headquarters after a night of restless sleep, Reon headed straight for Director Argus' office. The office was busy as usual as he wended his way through the agents work area. He passed through a heavy door to a reception room.

"Morning Beatra, is he in?" Reon asked the older, still handsome, blue persian female.

"Welcome back Darius, he's had quite a few conference calls this morning. Let me see if he'll have a break here soon." She told him with a small smile. After a few minutes conversation she hung up. "Afraid you'll have to wait a bit, Darius. He's still in the middle of a crisis call."

Darius sighed and nodded. He went to the far corner where a fancy partition hid a high class serving area. He made himself a cup of coffee and took a pastry then sat in a comfortable chair near the thick paned windows. The sun was muted by filters but was still warm enough to take the chill from his bones. It was always winter here. Megakat City was a comfortable sixty-five degrees most of the time.

IAPA Headquarters was a huge complex carved out of sheer rock to make a secure cliff home that was nearly impenetrable to outsiders. Huge pneumatic doors that resembled rock on the outside of them opened to a football sized flight line that raised up and down as needed at the top of the mountain. It could handle choppers and mini-jets. The laboratories were located further down inside the mountain. The director's office was located on the rock face as were the housing of the residents so that they could get much needed sunlight daily. It was a vast complex and totally hidden from kat kind.

The view outside the window revealed jagged mountains and steep cliffs in all directions. The sun glinted blindingly off the permanently snow covered landscape.

He was just finishing his coffee and contemplating another cup when the door to the Director's office opened.

Argus, a fit panther cross who didn't show his age, eyed Darius and crooked a finger at him then turned back into his office. Darius took his cup to the corner quickly then hurried after his boss.

The office was warm with a huge oak desk, high backed comfortable black chair, real plants here and there and paintings of seascapes on the walls. Two comfortable leather chairs were in front of the desk and Darius plopped down into one as his boss sat back down behind it.

"Alright, let's hear it!" Argus grunted, leaning back in his chair.

Darius nodded and quickly gave his report. He didn't prevaricate since his boss was also psychic so lying wasn't a good idea. It took him twenty minutes and Argus was silent through it all. When he stopped speaking he shifted his shoulders uncomfortably under his boss' penetrating stare.

"So we have two critical problems. One, the possible return of the aliens and two, a newly discovered, high powered, untrained psychic. Have I got my facts correct?" He asked.

"Yes sir!"

"Hmm. The alien problem is of primary concern, obviously. I'll call a meeting of my handlers to get all our high rated psychics in and briefed. They will require some additional training to battle this menace. As for our untrained psychic...I don't see you have any choice, Reon. If McLeon says in his judgement you are mated to this tom then you must proceed to bond and bring this psychic to full fighting skill as fast as you can with McLeon's continued assistance. I would have preferred to have this Feral brought here and tested under controlled circumstances but we haven't time. It will have to wait for when this crisis is deemed over." Argus said ponderously. "I suggest you get yourself packed and catch the next flight out. Turn your cases over to Lanerd. You will send a regular report on your progress with the new psychic. Dismissed!" He ordered returning to his work.

Reon sat in stunned shock for a minute before slowly rising and leaving the room. There was no point in arguing with Director Argus. When he made a decision, it was after he had carefully considered all factors. Apparently, he'd already received a preliminary report on what had happened in Megakat City and just needed Reon to confirm and fill in the rest before making a decision.

The fact that his agent might not like the decision didn't enter into it. Cursing under his breath, Reon left the Director's office for the agent's bullpen. He found Lanerd in the break area. He told him the orders he'd received.

Lanerd grimaced unhappily, but went to Reon's desk to receive the case files. He didn't give Reon any guff about it as he could feel the tom's disturbed state of mind despite his shield being in place. The attack by the aliens and the uncertainty of whether they would return had everyone uneasy. After Lanerd left, Reon called down to the transpo office and got his travel plans set up for after lunch.

He spent the next couple of hours finishing up some left over work at his desk then typing up his report on the mission he'd just completed. Yawning, he locked up his desk, dropped the report off at the typing pool then made for his quarters. It was going on eleven o'clock by the time he reached his room.

The quarters for each of the agents was simple in design but comfortable. A bed, dresser, desk w/chair, comfortable recliner, entertainment center, mini-kitchen, their own bath and, of course, a window.

He'd spent very little time here in recent months. It almost looked like no one lived here. He pulled a larger suitcase from the closet and began to pack for an indefinite stay. Because of that, he took a few more personal belongings than he normally would...videos, cds, books, pictures, awards, etc...and from a secured storage space, he took out a special box. It was small, made of redwood and had many intricate carvings done on all sides.

Within it were just a few mementos but there was one item that held special meaning to him. He pull out a ring. It had been given to him after his father's death. It had been his father's bonding ring and it was his wish that his only son receive it upon his death.

Darius stared at it for a long moment. It was silver rather than gold and had a blue sapphire set in it's center. The sun caught the blue facets and made it glow. He had always admired the ring and had been overjoyed when his father had left it for him. He carefully tucked it back away in the keepsake box then placed it in his suitcase. Looking around, he made sure he hadn't left anything he'd wanted to take with him then sealing the suitcase he left it near the door. He went and took a shower, dressed then picked up his suitcase and made for the transport level to catch his flight.

While Reon prepared to return to Megakat City, Feral woke that morning feeling tired and depressed. He forced himself to prepare for work but couldn't muster any appetite for breakfast nor by midday...lunch. He simply couldn't shake his feeling of worthlessness. Reon's rejection hurt far more than he'd realized and the more he tried to deny it the more it weighed his spirit down.

He tried to bury himself in work. This wasn't hard to do since the city was still trying to pick up the pieces of their lives. The good part was the deaths of Dark Kat and Viper. The two worst omegas that had plagued the city were no more making the rebuilding of the city easier to do without having to worry if they were going to be interrupted.

However, there was one threat that could. It was after lunch and Feral had been asked to come and see some of the things Pumadyne had found in the alien ship that could be used to defend the planet. He had gone with Steel and Ms. Briggs to take a look.

Though the scientists hadn't been able to decipher some of the more complicated parts of the ship as yet, they had been able to figure out the weaponry and some of the computer tech... the hardware section that is...the software was just too alien to understand.

After being shown how some of the weaponry could be converted for use in their fighter jets and tanks, Feral was impressed. This could allow them to actually harm the attacking ships. This was good news. Ms. Briggs was also suitably impressed and stated she would 'force' the Mayor to fund the project using the possibility of a future attack as her arguing point.This was one of the times when Feral wished Briggs was the Mayor instead of that worthless, glory hound, Manx.

They left the facility together and parted toward their own vehicles. Feral had just reached his cruiser when his radio sounded off. He grabbed it and answered.

"Sir, a time vortex has appeared over city hall. No sign of the Pastmaster yet but the SWAT Kats have responded and are standing by near the vortex." His duty officer told him tersely.

"Crud! We didn't need that little gnome to appear now! Have alpha chopper squadron back up the SWAT Kats but stay far away from the vortex. We don't need them being dragged into it." Feral ordered.

As he clicked off, he saw Ms. Briggs beginning to pull her car out of its parking spot. He jumped in, started his cruiser, and squealed out of his spot, just managing to block her from leaving the lot.

She looked at him in surprise, as he put his cruiser in park, engine still running, and ran to her car. She rolled down the window and eyed him questioningly.

"Pastmaster's vortex is near city hall. He might be making a try for you again. I wanted to stop you from showing up in your easily recognized car. Park it here and come with me. We'll go see what's going on." Feral instructed her.

Her face going grim, she didn't respond verbally but went ahead to back up her car and park it nearby. She locked it and walked over to Feral's cruiser where he was holding the door open for her. Nodding at him, she climbed in and cinched her seatbelt, he shut her door then got in on the driver's side.

Pulling out into the street, he turned on the sirens and raced back into the city.

Meanwhile, at city hall, the vortex vanished but there was still no sign of the Pastmaster. Confused, the SWAT Kats weren't ready to leave the area so they continued to make an ever widening search pattern with the enforcers mirroring them.

From a hidden vantage point that was line of sight for city hall, the Pastmaster watched the goings on. He noted the significant damage done to the city and frowned. Calling up a crystal sphere, he used it to view the recent past to find out exactly what had occurred here.

The crystal showed him the aliens arrival, their occupation of the city, and their destruction. He muttered to the crystal to pause on a particular moment in Mayor Manx's office.

"Hmm...how interesting...this gives me a fantastic opportunity to take over the wizard's council and rule Megalith City. I may even succeed in taking Callista at last." He said aloud, his ugly features spreading to a look of anticipation and excitement.

"All I have to do is capture these two and force them to mate then I'll raise the resultant kittens into weapons of incredible power." He crowed as he switched the crystal to act as a telescope letting him see the kats on the ground near city hall. He grinned when the pair he wanted arrived together. He watched them as they spoke with others then both went into the building. Putting his crystal away he walked to where he had a flying gargoyle staying hidden out of sight. He mounted the creature and had it circle to the back side of city hall away from where the SWAT Kats were cruising and avoiding the enforcer choppers.

Keeping low he and his gargoyle stepped into the clock tower. He made his creature wait while he carefully slipped downstairs to the Mayor's floor. He watched and listened silently for anyone coming, it remained empty allowing him to move quickly to Ms. Briggs' open door. From within he heard Commander Feral's voice talking to Ms. Briggs.

'Perfect,' he thought as he pulled his watch out and peeked carefully around the doorway. His targets were standing near a desk. He muttered a spell and it shot forth from the watch and hit Ms. Briggs and Feral dead on, freezing them in place.

Stepping into the room, he cackled softly to himself as he moved to stand in front of his helpless victims. "You two will be forced to breed me kittens. With your psychic powers, Commander and Ms. Briggs' heritage of magic, your kittens will be powerful and I will train them to use their powers to take over my world. No one will dare to defy me with them at my side."

Feral stared at the crazy wizard in shocked disbelief. That was the most twisted plan he'd ever heard. He struggled wildly against the magic that held him watching in horror as the Pastmaster prepared to take them to the past. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the vortex reappear. As his struggles became more desperate he awkwardly released the block in his mind and poured a blast of psychic energy out catching Ms. Briggs and Pastmaster sending both to the floor crying out in pain.

"Stop it...stop it...get out of my brain..." Pastmaster shrieked as he turned to bring his watch to bear on Feral to try to end his torment.

Feral pressed harder though he wasn't sure what he was doing and sweat poured off his forehead.

Pastmaster shrieked again before finally succumbing. Feral awkwardly blocked his psychic energy once more. With the wizard unconscious, the vortex vanished. The SWAT Kats and enforcers were totally confused by the on again off again flickering of the portal. Callie collapsed to the floor when the spell ended, moaning in pain from Feral's uncontrolled assault. The big tom was forced to catch the desk as his head pounded from the effort to stop Pastmaster.

The SWAT Kats decided to land on city hall, hoping to get some answers from Callie. As they stepped into the clock tower the gargoyle surprised them by knocking Razor back against a wall. T-Bone avoided it and fired a tarpedo that slammed it against another wall, sticking it there.

Certain the Pastmaster was within the building, the SWAT Kats raced for her office and found Feral just helping her to her feet and the Pastmaster in a heap on the floor.

"What the heck happened?" T-Bone asked in surprise.

Callie told them as she shakily sat down in her chair. Feral was rubbing the side of his head and frowning in pain. As she talked, Callie reached into her desk and retrieved a bottle of aspirin, shook some out into her palm and gave them to Feral. He sighed and nodded gratefully at her as he took the tablets and downed them dry.

Razor blinked in shocked amazement, "I didn't think psychic abilities could affect a dead wizard?"

"Neither did I but hearing his plan for us sorta pushed me to try." Feral muttered still in pain. "What the creep didn't know was I don't do females though he probably would have used a spell to force me to do what he wanted."

"Oh, a lover of toms eh, don't know who'd want you!" T-Bone snorted in amusement.

T-Bone's unwittingly cruel comment touched the sore spot in Feral that was hurting from Reon's rejection. Shock and anguish flashed through him causing him to lose control of his shields and allow his unbearable emotional pain to pour forth uncontrollably.

Those around him were caught in the mental outpouring sending them to their knees, drowning in Feral's despair. Across the city at the University, Kell halted his lecture in mid word, his face reflecting his shock at the pain pouring into him from his student. He hurriedly strengthened his shields. His students stared at him in concern. He apologized and said a psychic student of his was in trouble and cancelled classes. He went to his office and called a cab. Racing outside he waited while the waves of despair pounded against his shields.

At that moment, Reon was boarding a taxi at Megakat International Airport. He planned on heading for the hotel he'd stayed at before and gave that address to the driver. He let his mind wander. On the flight, he ran over his plans for trying to get to know the Commander. This wasn't going to be easy as he still didn't care much for the arrogant tom.

As the taxi made it's way through the downtown traffic, a mental cry of intense emotional pain slammed against his shields making him gasp aloud. He automatically dispersed the energy as he searched quickly for the location of that despairing cry. He already knew who it was and in a few minutes he knew where the anguished psychic was located.

His gasp of shock had made the taxi driver stare at him in concern in his mirror. Getting control of himself, he quickly asked the driver to change directions and to head for city hall and to hurry. Frowning in surprise the driver nonetheless did as he was told and changed directions quickly and sped as fast as he dared to his customer's destination.

When they arrived, Reon paid him quickly, grabbed his suitcase and raced up the broad stairs to city hall. He lucked out and caught an elevator immediately, punching the button for the top floor. He grimaced and grit his teeth wishing the elevator was faster.

He burst through the barely opening doors to the sight of kats laying everywhere, crying mirroring the anguished psychic's feelings. He raced past them for the Mayor's office. He left his suitcase outside the door and quickly stepped in. Before him was the SWAT Kats and Ms. Briggs on the floor rolling in anguish and standing with his eyes shut tight, his face twisted in pain was Feral.

He carefully stepped around the helpless kats on the floor and wrapped his arms around the distressed tom. He quickly pressed against the incomplete shield sending soothing emotions of comfort toward the sobbing mind pounding against his own shields.

"_It's alright, everything will be okay. It's me, Darius...let me in Ulysses." _He urged the tom mentally.

"_D..d..d..darius_??" Came the stuttered question.

"_I'm here, let me in!" _Darius coaxed.

"_I hate being alone...it hurts too much...when you didn't want me...I just couldn't handle it..._" Feral admitted, his inward self choking with tears as he lowered his badly tattered shields. A warm feeling of comfort filled his mind and soothed him. As soon as he calmed, the psychic cry stilled releasing all his inadvertent victims.

Reon gently caressed the distressed tom's face with his fingers while keeping the other arm around the tom's waist. Feral kept his eyes closed though tears still washed slowly down his face. Reon swallowed his distress at seeing the proud tom reduced to tears. This was his fault. He thought the kat a real hard case but his harsh exterior hid a lonely soul and his callousness had precipitated this event.

"_I'm soo sorry, Ulysses. I just was shocked and wasn't ready for suddenly being presented with a mate but I didn't mean to hurt you so badly, forgive me." _Reon said anxiously, mentally taking hold of Feral's body and hugging him tightly, trying to mend the damage he had done.

In the mind, lying was impossible so Ulysses could tell Reon was truly sincere. The red tom's thoughts were full of regret for causing him such pain and a willingness to correct his mistake. It felt right and comforting to be in Reon's arms and he sighed as he hugged the image in his mind not aware that their physical bodies were doing the same. He didn't try to analyze it just glad the bitter pain was eased in his heart.

As they were locked together in communion, the SWAT Kats and Callie recovered. T-Bone helped Callie from the floor.

"Crud! That was awful! I didn't mean to make him so upset!" T-Bone muttered as he helped Callie to her chair.

"You didn't know, T-Bone. None of us did!" Razor sighed as he rubbed his head.

"Poor Feral! I didn't realize just how lonely he was." Callie said sadly.

T-Bone finally noticed the stranger holding Feral. "Who the heck is that?"

Razor and Callie looked as well, "He's obviously a psychic and he's helping Feral to control himself. Wonder how he happened to be here, though?" Razor asked.

"Since Feral is alone, I can't imagine who he could be. He's certainly being very intimate for a stranger!" She frowned in confusion.

As the pair remained oblivious through the door came the familiar figure of McLeon.

"Oh Mr. McLeon! How did you know to be here?" Callie asked in surprise.

"As Commander Feral's teacher, I keep a light mental link with him at all times. His mental cry reached me and I hurried here as fast as I could but it seem Darius was closer." McLeon said calmly as he observed Reon and Feral.

"That's his name? Who is he anyway?" T-Bone demanded to know.

"Feral's mate!" He said bluntly and was amused by the shocked looks he received.


	8. Chapter 8

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 8: A New Talent

"Mate? But his outburst showed he wasn't attached to anyone?" Callie said in shocked surprise.

"That is quite true, Ms. Briggs, as far as Commander Feral was aware. Reon is his compatible mate which they both just discovered yesterday. It was too great a shock and I'm afraid young Darius didn't accept it very well but neither did Ulysses. Duty to his job sent Darius home to file his report and Ulysses thought his mate didn't want him. I'm afraid the rejection upset him far more than I had first thought. My apologizes for not being aware." McLeon said quietly.

"Well I guess he can be forgiven his outburst, though my head wants to bash him one right now," Razor groaned.

"I can ease that, if you will permit me?" McLeon offered.

"Oh yeah, go for it, except for doing any digging. Our identities are secret for a reason!" Razor said willingly but adding the warning. The ache wasn't just pain but a deep sorrow he couldn't seem to shake.

McLeon went to Razor and took his paw in one of his own. He closed his eyes and reached out to an incredibly intelligent and well-ordered mind. Razor was a surprise to McLeon. He was careful to avoid anything that might give him the Kat's true identity as he eased the emotional pain Ulysses had caused. To his surprise, his pupil had been able to leave his sorrow behind causing his unintended victim to continue to suffer emotional upset despite its sender no longer assaulting him. This could be used as a terrible weapon. He was very glad Feral was a moral Kat.

Pulling away, he opened his eyes. "Is that better?" He asked the masked Kat.

Razor blinked and took a deep breath. That deep sorrow was gone and he felt lighter. "Yes! Thank you!" Then he frowned and eyed McLeon in concern. "Did you know he could do that?" He asked suspiciously.

McLeon nodded mentally, this was a very sharp Kat. "No, this is the first I've witnessed such a talent. He, of course, isn't aware of what he's done. He will be trained to manage it and learn how to remove its effects." He reassured him.

"Good! That could be an advantage during a battle but also a deadly weapon against the innocent. Thankfully, Feral is too honest to do anything like that." Razor said quietly.

"I agree! However, I would appreciate your discretion in this matter." McLeon murmured.

Razor nodded, but T-Bone and Callie were confused as to what the pair was talking about.

"Exactly what are you promising to be silent about?" T-Bone huffed as his head still throbbed and he felt miserable for reasons he couldn't understand.

Razor turned to his partner. "Feral has an apparent talent for leaving emotional distress, or any other form of emotion he cares to, behind in his victim's minds. Of course, he doesn't know he can do this. That's a devastating weapon that Mr. McLeon has assured me, Feral will be trained to handle properly but he would prefer no one else knows about it for now. Meanwhile, that aching head and heavy feeling of depression you're both feeling can be removed by Mr. McLeon which is what he just did for me." Razor explained seriously.

"Well hell, as if Feral wasn't dangerous enough..." T-Bone said in dismay. "Uh...would you please do your thing for me, Mr. McLeon," He asked tightly.

"Certainly, sir," McLeon said reaching for T-Bone's paw and was soon removing the harmful emotion. He found this individual to be strong willed but compassionate. It made him more at ease to know that, though they were vigilantes, they were honorable Kats. He released T-Bone who sighed in grateful relief.

"May I, Ms. Briggs?" McLeon asked the Deputy Mayor reaching a paw out to her. She nodded solemnly and let him hold her paw. He was pleased to find this was another strong willed and compassionate Kat. The city was fortunate to have such as these for their protectors he thought as he removed the problem and let go of her paw.

They heard a sigh behind them and turned toward the pair of males near Ms. Briggs' desk.

Feral was very reluctant to let Reon go. It felt so good to be holding someone and to be held in return. Reon caressed the big tom's back in sympathy but knew they needed to leave this warm place inside their minds for the outside. What they needed to do next was to be done in private with no chance of interruption.

"_You won't lose me, Ulysses. We need to leave here and go to your apartment, okay?" _He asked soothingly.

"_I like it here. It's so peaceful and I've needed that. I've been under too much stress lately." _Feral murmured reluctantly.

"_I know, but you won't lose this, I promise!" _Reon said gently, slowly pulling back from Feral's mind. Feral tried to hold him a moment longer but then let go when Reon pushed against him more firmly.

Feral blinked and tried to get his emotional legs under him again. Reon was still embracing, steadying him and there was a warm presence in his mind. Reon was keeping his promise. Feral felt better and more calm than he'd had since the aliens attack.

He looked around and saw McLeon. "What are you doing here?" He asked his instructor.

"You forget. I am linked to you for your safety. I heard your cry and raced here but Darius got here first." He said mildly.

Feral turned to Reon, an eyebrow raised in question.

"I had just arrived in the city when I heard you. I guess I was just closer than Kell," Darius said smiling a little.

Feral smiled a little too. "I'm glad you were." He said quietly.

A groan nearby jerked everyone's attention to the dangerous creature just regaining consciousness on the floor. Razor moved quickly to snatch the watch that was within reach of the Pastmaster while T-Bone picked up the ugly little gnome and quickly pulled the sorcerer's arms behind his back.

The Pastmaster growled in anger and struggled in the powerful tom's grip. Feral stepped away from Reon and pulled a pair of pawcuffs from his coat. He stepped to T-Bone's side and proceeded to cuff the sorcerer. Pastmaster glared warily at the Chief Enforcer, not daring to anger this unpredictable Kat. McLeon did not offer to relieve the criminal of his pain and he wasn't certain the strange creature was even troubled by any bad emotions anyway.

"You're under arrest Pastmaster. Without your watch you can count on staying a long time in jail." Feral growled as he took custody of the sorcerer from T-Bone.

"I'll go with you to Enforcer Headquarters while you deal with him, Ulysses but first we need to do something about the victims you unwittingly harmed." Reon said. McLeon had sent him a mental 'heads up' about what Ulysses had done.

Feral looked at Reon in shocked confusion.

'_You have unintentionally left your depressed emotions behind on everyone who heard your cry. Fortunately, it is confined to this floor so I want you to just relax as I use your power to remove the troublesome pain and emotion.' _Reon told him mentally.

Feral swallowed in unhappy dismay that he had caused his fellow Kat's pain. He sighed and nodded, closing his eyes and relaxing as much as he could, allowing Reon to use his abilities to pull the residual psychic energy from the victims. Unlike when McLeon had used him, Reon caused him no pain at all, for which he was profoundly grateful.

"There that's taken care of, shall we go?" Reon asked gesturing Feral to the door with his prisoner. Feral smiled a little and nodded as he gripped Pastmaster tightly and stepped through the door. Reon followed, grabbing his suitcase from the hall. Pastmaster grumbled furiously as they walked to the elevator.

"I'll take my leave now as well. Have a good day!" McLeon said bowing to the three in the office before turning and leaving.

"Guess that's our cue to leave too, Ms. Briggs," T-Bone said nodding to Callie as he and Razor quickly slipped into the hall and up to the clock tower. The gargoyle was still stuck to the wall struggling vainly to get free.

"Hmm, we have to do something with that thing." T-Bone said staring at the creature.

"Yeah, well we probably should give it to Feral. Let's pull it off the wall and wrap it up." Razor said thoughtfully as T-Bone reached out and yanked the thing from the wall, holding it so that Razor could wrap it in strong nylon cording.

They hauled it to the jet and cinched it to some tie-downs then lifted off for Enforcer Headquarters. They ended up arriving about the same time as the Commander. Dropping down to the flight line, they waited for some enforcers to run up to them then opened the cargo door to show why they were there. Four grim faced enforcers hauled the prisoner out of the jet and off to a special cell until they could figure out what to do with the thing.

Closing up the hold, T-Bone lifted off and flew home.

Back in the Mayor's office, Callie sighed and prepared herself to deal with a lot of irate office workers. She was very glad the Mayor had not been in.

At Enforcer Headquarters, Feral's Sergeant informed him of the SWAT Kats delivery of the gargoyle. The Commander just sighed and handed over the Pastmaster to his officers. There was a specially designed cell waiting for him. He told them how to handle the gargoyle and gave instructions to his Sergeant to pass on to his secretary that he would be indisposed for the rest of the day.

He and Reon turned and left. They walked through the huge doors of Feral's headquarters and down to his sedan. They didn't speak as the big tom navigated through the afternoon traffic. They reached Feral's apartment in very little time. He parked in his underground garage then led Reon to the elevator. They were silent but Reon had taken Feral's paw in his own squeezing it gently. Feral gave a shy smile as the elevator doors opened onto his floor.

They walked paw in paw to his front door. He unlocked it and gestured Reon to enter. The red tom released the paw he held and stepped into the nicely decorated apartment.

'It lacked warmth, sorta like my own small apartment at IAPD' he thought ruefully. 'What a pair we are! Well, time to change that!' He told himself with determination. He turned and watched as Feral locked the door and removed his coat and weapon, putting them away in a nearby coat closet and wall safe.

When the big tom finished, he eyed the red tom speculatively. "Would you like something to drink?" He asked politely as he moved closer to Reon.

"No, I'm fine!" Reon said quietly. _'Come here Ulysses,_' he coaxed the other mentally extending his arms in welcome.

With a sigh, Ulysses closed the distance and moved into the red tom's arms, wrapping his own around the more slender waist.

Reon opened the door between their minds. Feral gasped as he felt the incredible sensation of actually feeling Darius' desire as strongly as his own. Minds linked, it was hard to tell whose emotions were whose. It made every touch so much more intense. He couldn't contain his groan of utter delight at Darius' more experienced caresses and they hadn't even taken their clothes off yet.

_"Oh God! Darius!...I've never felt anything like this..."_ Ulysses' panted excitedly pulling back a little so that he could see his mate's face. For a moment he seemed to see two Darius'...one in his mind and one his eyes beheld in front of him. It made his head spin.

_"Don't do that Ulysses,"_ Darius tried to contain his mirth. _"It's a little disconcerting when you try to see with both your inner and outer eyes."_

Closing his eyes against the disorienting sensation, Feral groaned, _"Now you tell me. That was just weird." _He was once more seeing his mate with only his mind.

_"You'll get used to it eventually but not right now."_ Darius said still amused. _"Okay, let's pull back a bit so that we can undress. Your bedroom...?" _His mental image raised a questioning eyebrow.

Pulling out and returning his attention outward again, Feral blinked for a moment then turned to his bedroom. Reon kept an arm around the big tom's waist as they made for the other room.

Stopping near the bed, Darius began to slowly undo Uly's tie while laying soft butterfly kisses on the dark tom's face and neck. Ulysses moaned and sighed as he slid his paws around Darius' waist then slipping them under the pullover sweater the Kat wore, grasping the edge and pulling it up and off the red Kat's torso. Darius grinned at him as his own fingers were busy removing Ulysses' shirt. When the last button was undone, Darius shoved the shirt off Uly's shoulders.

Leaning forward to trade a kiss with his mate, Feral pulled one arm at a time from the shirt's sleeves. The shirt drifted to the floor as Darius wasted no time pulling the t-shirt from the dark tom's torso and sending it after the shirt. Feral's fingers were working open the snap and zipper of Darius' jeans as the red tom did the same to him.

Ulysses was feeling hot and eager as Darius suddenly pushed him to the bed so that he could pull the enforcer boots off. After toeing his own shoes off the red tom laid down on top of the dark one. Wrapping arms around each other they began to trade burning kisses everywhere they could reach. Darius once again opened the door between their minds.


	9. Chapter 9

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 9: Bonding

'_Ohhhh...yess...feeels soo good, don't stop Darius,' _Feral moaned in mindless pleasure as Reon's fingers played over his body and he could feel the tom's enjoyment echoing his own in their linked minds. It was like having sex in stereo there just was no other way to describe it.

Reon groaned as Feral nipped and licked his neck and his tail rubbed up and down the red tom's inner thigh_. 'God's that feels soo good Uly,' _he gasped

The dark tom might be ignorant in the matters of sex but he had a natural aptitude that was refreshing and Darius was flying from his new mate's exploring fingers and mouth. There was nothing like a mind to mind connection to enhance the sexual experience but with Ulysses, it was turning into far more than he imaged...so very intense and mind blowing..

Reon may have been reluctant at first but having such an eager partner beneath him and one that wanted...no needed... him for himself and not just sex was overwhelming.

They continued to trade hot kisses as they explored each others bodies. Ulysses panted with need as an urgency to reach some end he wasn't familiar with but desired with all his heart pushed him onward.

Darius could feel the need to bond rising in Ulysses just as it pressed urgently on him. He prepared his mate thoroughly for what was to come. Both mind and body had to be ready for the joining of body and soul to come.

'_Darius, please...I can't hold out any longer...I feel such an intense need...' _Ulysses begged, his body writhing beneath the red tom's tormenting touches.

'_Soon love...soon...one last thing to do...' _Darius rumbled hotly as he pressed a finger in the tom's hot pucker. Uly bucked in surprise at the sensation, then relaxed as his mate's gentle thrusting made him shiver and moan. The red tom added a second finger and this time brushed the prostate gland.

Ulysses cried out in shocked desire, nearly coming in his excitement. Darius added a third finger and thrust a little faster. Uly's eyes widened and he bellowed as he came hard spraying his mates chest and his own.

It took him several moments to stop shuddering then go limp. Darius removed his fingers and lifted his mate's legs to his shoulder and thrust his hard and leaking cock against Uly's furless pucker and slowly slid his way in.

Uly gasped and spasmed tight for a moment as his mate pushed through the muscular ring. Darius held still though he was almost mad with desire. Uly could feel his mate's intense desire through their mind contact and relaxed allowing the red tom to slide all the way in. They moaned in unison as they felt the incredible sensation of being taken as it vibrated over their connection. Darius shuddered at the exquisite feeling of tightness and Uly's reactions as he was taken for the first time. 'God's there was just no words to describe how this feels,' Darius thought deliriously.

'_Ohhh...Darius...take me...make me fly to the heavens,' _Ulysses urged him hotly.

'_As you wish my love...hold on tight...you will never forget this day...,' _Darius promised lustfully.

Darius began a slow rhythm only picking up the pace when Uly was ready. Sooner than he expected he was pounding his new mate into the mattress and they were flying high. As they reached the peak of their powerful union their minds reached out to each other and clung together as their climax erupted forging the bond between them.

The union was so intense, so white hot, their minds fused and exploded in bursts of incredible pleasure before losing consciousness completely.

Darius didn't know how long he'd been out but his head felt like it was floating as he carefully lifted it from his mate's sweaty chest. Ulysses was still out of it...his mind voice silent and humming like a carrier wave. That alone told him their bonding had been successful. Darius was now an anchor for his powerful mate.

He rolled slowly off his mate and carefully pushed himself to a sitting position. As he gathered his wits about him, he absently caressed Uly's chest fur. He glanced down at the big tom and mused, "Well, handsome, we're a part of each other 'til death due us part' now."

Gold eyes opened and stared blearily at him, "oooooh...I feel sooo strange..." He said fuzzily.

"That's the bond, love. How do you feel otherwise...hmmm?," Darius purred as he leaned down and nuzzled his mate.

"Wonderful!" Uly sighed, a look of sated satisfaction spread across his face.

Darius smiled in amusement.

"So we're bonded now?" Ulysses asked staring up at the ceiling, still a bit dazed.

"Yes. Now I'm officially your anchor. All your lessons will be done with me and never alone. I will prevent any of your powers from escaping your control as it did today." Darius explained softly. "Kell's lessons will teach us how to work together as a team and teach me how to manage someone as powerful as you."

"Oh! That's good! I don't fancy being a threat to the katizens I've sworn to protect. I felt really bad accidentally harming those kats at city hall." He said ruefully.

"It wasn't your fault. Think no more about it and be thankful no one was seriously harmed." Darius said gently.

"I am! Trust me!" The dark tom sighed then reached up and pulled his mate down on him. "Now how about a few more lessons of a more intimate type?" He rumbled lustfully.

"Hmmm, I think I'm up for that!" Darius smiled wickedly and kissed his mate hotly.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to know each other intimately. After a long nap, a hot shower and a meal, they sat in Uly's living room snuggling close on the couch and traded life histories mind to mind.


	10. Chapter 10

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 10: Lessons

After the successful bonding, the lessons with McLeon began. Feral was truly beginning to hate them. He was always left with a mega headache that no aspirin could touch. Reon was grateful that he could draw off the effects of his mate's lessons or they both would have suffered.

McLeon frowned as he monitored his pupil as he tried yet again to meditate. The Kat was unable to center and ground simply because he couldn't relax. He knew Feral was a great multitasker but terrible about letting go of his multiple concerns enough to allow his mind to relax and focus.

As he listened on the periphery of Feral's mind, he found this powerful mind veering off on some enforcer problem destroying his focus yet again. Sighing mentally, Kell pushed into his students thoughts.

"_You cannot allow all these distractions to ruin your focus, Ulysses. Learning to center and ground is vitally important for one with as much power as you possess. How do you expect to save your city from the aliens return if you cannot master the most basic lessons of all psychics?" He said in some exasperation._

McLeon's pointed comment caused Feral to lose his meager attempt altogether and he dropped out of his trance in disgust and frustration.

His teacher dropped out as well and shook his head. He turned to Reon who had been watching as well. "You try! He must get this! If he doesn't then I have no choice but to send him to IAPA for a group effort to teach him." He said in annoyance and no little concern.

Feral paled at that threat. He'd done research on IAPA and heard some disturbing things about their psychic training. It was harsh and unforgiving. Some psychics didn't survive the training with their sanity intact.

Reon grimaced, no way would Ulysses survive that kind of treatment. He was too stubborn and they would end up breaking him with their methods. Eyeing his mate, he didn't miss the fear in his eyes. Sighing inwardly he said with a calmness he didn't feel, "He's too used to being in charge, Kell. We're asking him to let go of all his hard won control to trust something he can't see or relate too. I'll try something different. Come on Ulysses, let's you and I go find somewhere quiet and peaceful." Reon said getting up.

Feral eyed him in puzzlement but willingly got up to follow him. They left Kell's cottage and made for Feral's hummer.

"I'll let you pick...desert or forest...we need to be away from the city for a little while. Being here keeps you always 'on duty' and I need you to forget about that long enough to get you to accomplish this vital lesson. So drive!" Reon ordered.

Feral blinked in surprise then thought about which area would help him relax more. Making a decision he put the hummer in gear and began to drive out of the city. Some forty-five minutes later, he pulled off onto dirt track in a thickly forested area. He went at least half a mile before finally stopping and killing the engine.

Without a word they got out. Feral reached into the back of his vehicle and grabbed a thick horse blanket and flung it over his shoulder. He locked his vehicle after leaving his radio, phone, and weapon behind. Darius smiled and did the same then waited to see where Ulysses was intending to go.

Feral looked around a moment. He'd not been here in a very long time and was actually amazed that he had remembered it. He set off after getting his bearings. They hiked for half an hour before pushing their way through a cleft between a sheer wall of basalt. On the other side was a small glen with an equally small waterfall.

"I found this when I was in my late teens. I needed a place to get away from the stresses of my aristocratic family. They had plans for me but I had already made plans for my future and it wasn't to run the family business. So I came up here to be alone and think." Feral said quietly as he made for a flat rock shaded by an old willow tree. He tossed the blanket down and sat.

Reon looked around the peaceful spot. It was beautiful here and nearly quiet except for the soft callings of hidden birds and small animals as well as the rushing and splashing sound of the waterfall.

"It's beautiful, Ulysses. A perfect hideaway!" He said warmly as he sat next to his mate.

"Yeah! Haven't been here for longer than a decade or two. Nice to see it hasn't changed much." Feral mused.

"What else did you used to do you don't do now?" Darius asked, curious about what made his mate tick. Though they had traded a great deal of information about each other when they bonded, there was still the little things, like favorite color, food, memories when young, things one did... like this place.

"Well..." He started then paused. He'd never told anyone this because they would think he was crazy but it seemed right that his mate should know and could quite possibly understand.

"During my early years, our family used to sing. Many of my extended family are in the music business...singer, composer, musician...that sort of thing. I was a natural singer and I'd do duets with my brother as our father played on violin and my mother played piano. It used to soothe me when I was troubled. I used to suffer terrible nightmares. Kell tells me they were caused by my emerging psychic powers but when they were blocked the nightmares faded but not the strange ache of something missing. I could never make my family understand what I meant by that. I didn't understand it myself really." He said quietly.

"It could have been a residual feeling that you were something more...sort of an instinctual feeling that you could do more with your mind but couldn't remember because of the block. I've met a few blocked psychics that described the same feeling." Darius suggested thougtfully.

"That could have been part of it but not all. Now that my powers are unblocked, I can almost hear what it was that I had been missing but it's still just out of reach." Feral murmured.

"Hear? ...hear what, Uly?" Darius asked, frowning in puzzlement.

"Music . . . a strange ethereal kind of music . . . it's like nothing I've ever heard with my ears...it's only in my mind. Sometimes it's almost loud enough to make out then just as suddenly it's too faint to hear. I've been hearing it more since the lessons began." He admitted.

"I've never heard of anything like that before, Ulysses. Maybe you should tell Kell about it. He and I might be able to probe and find out where it's coming from." Darius said, a little concerned.

"No . . . I don't know why . . . but no . . . I have a strong feeling it will make itself more heard soon but I couldn't tell you why I know this." Ulysses said hesitantly then shook his head. "I never believed in this mind stuff and now I'm forced to acknowledge it does exist because I can't deny the odd sensations I'm feeling and the things I see that aren't in the here and now but that I know are real or will be soon." He sighed in annoyance and frustration. "Too often now, I find myself wanting to run away, block the talent again, and run. It's getting too strange for me and I'm getting too weirded out by it."

Darius stared at his mate in consternation. Really high level psychics had been recorded possessing foresight . . . such people lived barely in the here and now . . . they existed on the edge of the future which made it hard for them to function in the present.

Ordinary people had labeled such Kats as slightly mad and too often were locked up for their own good. It had been more than a century since a psychic of that magnitude had existed. He was afraid his mate might be a first in this century. Much as he hated to, this was far too serious a matter to go it alone without some high powered help. He would have to discuss this with Kell as soon as they returned to town.

But right now it was even more paramount to get Ulysses to center and ground if only to keep him more in the here and now before he began to drift so far ahead of the present he could no longer communicate with them though their bond might keep the powerful psychic grounded. He truly hoped so.

"Well love, then it's a good thing you and I are bonded. I can act as your anchor for the here and now, besides keeping your powers contained to a manageable level. So you liked to sing? What kind of music did you enjoy singing?" Darius asked, changing the subject.

"Opera!" Ulysses said with a lopsided smile.

Darius' eyebrows rose in surprise, "Really? Wow that's pretty heavy stuff for a kitten!"

"Yeah, but it was soo soothing to me but what's funny is while my voice sang the normal opera my mind would be counterpointing it with extra backup like a full orchestra and choir. I tried to explain this to my parents but they became afraid for me and soon after my mind was blocked. Before the incident that made them do that, I would go to sleep hearing a whole composition play out in my mind." He said dreamily, his memories holding him for a moment.

Darius stared at him in shocked amazement. He'd never heard of such a thing before. There was a lot going on in his mate's mind and it was almost frightening and exciting at the same time.

"Is that happening now? Since you've been unblocked, is that ability showing itself again?" Darius asked seriously.

Ulysses blinked and thought for a moment. "Well, I've not had much time to just sit and think or let my mind drift. At night, I've been too tired to dream or hear anything. It's just been too hectic lately."

"And that's the whole problem! Maybe that's the music you are just barely hearing. You need to have time to sort through your thoughts without all the distractions and that is what we're going to do now. Let's begin by letting the surroundings pull you into a relaxed state." Darius said. "I want you to just stare at the falls and let everything else go. It doesn't matter how long it takes just focus on that one thing and relax."

They sat with the warm sun shining on them and the soothing sounds of the waterfall for a very long time. Darius didn't intrude into his mate's thoughts. He needed Ulysses to drift into a trance state naturally. When he deemed the tom was truly relaxed and focused on the waterfall, he gently slipped past the tom's shields.

Ulysses' mind was quiet for the first time since they'd bonded. His thoughts were drifting and on the edge, Darius could hear the waterfall but gradually he began to hear something else. He focused his thoughts more intently, trying to hunt down the elusive sound. For just a moment he heard a beautiful melody the likes of which he never heard before but before he could draw his mind closer to it, it faded away.

Sighing inwardly, he left the intriguing mystery and carefully merged with Uly's mind more fully. Once he had captured his mate's attention he showed him how to center and ground taking him to where his own center was. Flashing his understanding, Ulysses tried to mimic what Darius had shown him. For what seemed like a long time, Uly would get close and lose it . . . get close and lose it . . . over and over again. Darius stepped in and halted the loop action that was going on then made Ulysses try again.

Once Ulysses had finally gotten the trick of centering, Darius deliberately shoved him physically. Ulysses lost his center and got angry.

Darius stared at him calmly. "You have to stop me, Uly. If it's so easy for me to disrupt you with a physical reaction then you aren't holding your center. Now let's do it again until you can hold it no matter what is going on." Darius said cooly ignoring Uly's growing frustration and anger.

Growling, Ulysses prepared to focus again and again Darius shoved against his barrier, this time in his mind, shattering his concentration. "Again!" Darius barked and they would do it again and again and again.

Ulysses' head felt like it was going to explode but after more than two hours of centering and grounding, he could finally do it and not lose it when Darius would pummel him. Though his head was thrumming in pain, he felt proud that he had finally succeeded. He felt more secure and was better able to build a shield and hold it with hardly any effort.

"Way to go my love. I'm so glad you finally succeeded and now I think you deserve a reward." Darius said warmly. He touched his mate's temples with his fingers and eased the pounding headache. Ulysses sighed in relief then gasped as Darius pulled him into toe-curling kiss.

Sighing happily, he opened his mind to Darius and allowed himself to be led into a wonderful bout of play that relieved the rest of the stress that lingered from his hard work.

It was growing late when they finally left their private haven for Ulysses' apartment. It was a companionable silence that wrapped around them on the drive back to the city.


	11. Chapter 11

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 11: Checking out a Hunch

After his mate had fallen into a deep sleep, Reon reached out to McLeon on their private band psychics used between each other. Kell's sharp mind welcomed him and Reon gave him a run down of the day's success then he brought up the odd things Ulysses was experiencing. He felt a ripple of concern in the older psychic.

"_I feel hopelessly out of my depth at times with Ulysses. His mind is far too powerful for one Kat to possess and I truly fear for his continued sanity." _Kell finally said, worry lacing his mind voice.

"_Won't our bond help keep him grounded?" _Reon asked anxiously.

"_That is the only reason I haven't shipped him straight off to IAPA already. It is that bonding I pin my hopes on for his success in saving his city and perhaps all of us." _Kell admitted.

"_What about the music? I thought I heard just a trace of it while I was in his mind." _Reon asked.

"_Truthfully, Darius, I have never heard of anything like this before. I just wish we understood what was going on in his head but there are parts of his mind that are locked away from me by a natural form of shielding that I don't think even he is aware of." _He said in frustration.

"_Yes I've encountered them myself and you're right. He isn't aware of it. Frankly it makes me uneasy but I don't know what we can do about it except to leave it alone for now." _Reon admitted ruefully.

"_I agree." _Kell said, his mind voice showing signs of tiredness.

"_Then, that's what I'll do. We'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest!"_Reon said preparing to close their connection.

"_I will. See you tomorrow then, good night, Darius._" Kell said letting their connection fade.

Darius sighed and laid back down to spoon Ulysses. Just as he was slipping into slumber, he heard music that slipped past his shields and followed him down into sleep.

After a very pleasurable bout of sex on awakening, Feral was ready to face the day. He'd had a very good night's sleep but he didn't tell Darius that he had heard a beautiful melody that he still remembered this morning. It was almost like the composition he'd written in his mind as a kitten.

After so long missing, its return made him feel complete for the first time since he had been young. He hugged it to himself like a security blanket. He didn't know why he wasn't willing to share it with his mate, only sensing it wasn't time yet. Pushing it to a secret part of his mind as he'd been doing more and more lately, he prepared for work.

Now that he had mastered the ability to ground and center, McLeon moved onto more difficult lessons. He learned to make a bridge with other psychics and how to hold it so that others could connect and use him as a focal point. He didn't know it, but that talent alone made him the center of many excited discussions at IAPA. Ulysses learned to reach out a great distance with just his mind using Reon as his anchor to get him back to his body again.

The first time he'd done this, it had terrified him. He had reached to the edge of town and found a gang preparing to receive a huge shipment of illegal catnip. He was excited about discovering this and tried to pull back to call his enforcers but found to his horror, he couldn't see his link to Reon. For several heart stopping minutes he searched for the connection to his mate and finally found the golden cord in his mind that was his link. With an internal cry of relief he raced back down the link and fell out of trance panting and white faced in his mate's arms.

Reon comforted him and reassured him that he hadn't lost the connection, he had just panicked and failed to relax his mind to see it. This drove home the fact that he had to remain focused and not allow himself to become too distracted when away from his body. He never forgot the lesson after that and always kept aware of his link to Reon at all times no matter what was going on while he was searching outside himself.

After another two weeks had passed, McLeon finally deemed the Commander as trained as he was able to accomplish on their own. Any more advanced training would have to wait until the threat of the aliens was past.

Relieved to finally be done with the lessons, Feral was able to concentrate on his job more fully. He was pleasantly surprised and pleased that Steele had been able to keep things running smoothly during his frequent absences. The few omegas that were left around had not come out of hiding since the aliens attack, much to Feral's relief. It allowed them to concentrate on the day to day continuing recovery of the city from the damage caused by the invasion.

McLeon had found out there were just enough psychics at the level needed to form a protective shield around Aristal. When his lessons had been completed, at least once a week McLeon would have Feral join with the other psychics and practice holding a psychic link that formed the shield around the planet. As they practiced, they were able to hold the link for longer and longer periods. By the time the aliens made their reappearance, the Psychic Shield Holders, as they came to be called, were able to hold the shield for four hours.

During this time, Feral began to grow uneasy. He kept seeing defeat of the shield and a renewal of their slavery by the aliens. He tried to shake off the feeling as being ridiculous but it wouldn't leave him alone. If that wasn't enough, his music now invaded his dreams almost constantly and somehow he knew this was very important toward their success in defeating the coming enemy but for the life of him, he just couldn't see how music could save them.

As the weeks past, he became more and more edgy. Reon noted it but was unable to ease it or get Ulysses to tell him why he was so tense. Nearly two months had passed when he had a particularly vivid vision. He was in his office looking at some minor report and had stopped to look out the window for a moment. His vision blurred and in his mind's eye he saw a fleet of spaceships heading for their world. Many more than the last time. With a gasp of shock, he came to himself panting.

Steele had come into his office and noticed the Commander staring out the window. He called out to him but got no response. Concerned, he went up to the pedestal and had just reached it when Feral came out of his trance shaking and panting. Steele rubbed the tom's arms trying to soothe him and bring him more to himself. His efforts seem to help when Feral's eyes finally focused on him.

Once he saw his superior was returned from wherever he'd gone, he went down the pedestal and quickly made a cup of herbal tea that was kept nearby ever since the Commander began using his psychic abilities. Trancing, they had learned, took its toll on the big tom and the tea helped calm him. He quickly had a steaming cup made and took it back to Feral, who was rubbing his temples from a reaction headache.

"Here sir, drink this!" Steele urged as he pushed the cup into his superior's paws.

Feral took the cup and gave his second a grateful look as he downed its contents.

"Are you okay, sir? It looked like you saw something that shook you?" Steele asked quietly.

The Commander blinked and frowned a moment while he gathered his thoughts. It felt like what he saw was happening right now but now that he was calm again, he was able to tell it was a future vision instead.

"Yeah, it shook me but it isn't here yet!" He said distantly as he quickly reached out to McLeon and Reon on their private frequency. He quickly relayed what he'd seen.

"_Could you get a feel of how soon this is going to happen?" _McLeon asked quickly.

"_Soon, maybe a week or more, I can't really be sure." _Feral said unhappily.

"_Okay, don't worry about not being able to pin the time down, Uly. It's more than we would have had. Did you drink some tea, love?" _Darius asked in concern as he reached out and eased his mate's headache.

"_Yes, Steele happened to come in while I was 'away' and made me drink a cup." _He thought with a touch of pride for his now more reliable second and sighed at the relief from the throbbing between his ears.

"_Good! There's nothing more you can do, Ulysses. Let it go for now. I'll send word to IAPA about this. See you later love." _Darius said.

Feral felt both his mate and teacher release the link. He sighed and refocused his eyes to see Steele watching him intently.

Steele found it fascinating and a little scary when his Commander went blank like this. His eyes would go unfocused and he'd stare right through you. He'd since learned it meant Feral was communicating with other psychics and he'd have to wait for him to 'come back' to speak to him.

"Sorry, I needed to inform my contacts of what I'd seen. Thank you for the tea, was there something you needed to see me about?" Feral said returning to his regular duties and pushing the disturbing vision to the back of his mind.

"I was only bringing the Sandest case file you requested, sir." Steele said briskly. He learned that the Commander was very reticent about revealing what he'd seen in his visions. If it was important for him to know, he knew Feral would tell him.

"Oh thank you and thanks again for giving me the tea, that and Darius' touch helped prevent a truly spectacular reaction headache from incapacitating me. I appreciate your quick thinking." He told Steele warmly.

Steele blushed a little in pleasure at the compliment. "Only doing my job, sir." With that, he turned and left.

Feral finished his day's work but the vision he'd had earlier kept bothering him. He didn't know why but he felt an uncommon urgency pushing at him. He had learned the hard way not to ignore those feelings.

Checking out of his office an hour early, he drove to an old airfield at the edge of the current International Airport. Getting out of his hummer, he pulled out his radio and summoned dispatch.

"Dispatch here!" Came the quick response.

"This is Feral! Give me an open frequency." He ordered.

"Yes sir . . . frequency open!" The dispatcher said briskly.

"Attention SWAT Kats. I need to see you urgently. Please come to the old Tarnack Airfield at the edge of Megakat International Airport asap." Feral relayed then clicked off and waited.

No more than ten minutes later, the Turbokat was flying in from the north and soon landing not far from his hummer. Jumping agilely from the cockpit, the pair walked up to him.

"What's up Commander?" T-Bone asked.

"I have a strong need to go up in space and do a search. I had a vision of our nasty visitors returning soon. But for some reason I can't shake the need to go up and look around. Can you indulge me right now or do you need to fuel first?" He asked.

Both the SWAT Kats looked at him in concerned surprise. They hadn't been aware Feral was able to have visions. They didn't envy him that ability. It had to be a heavy burden.

"No, we're cool to go right now, if you want to, Commander." Razor answered seriously.

"Good! Just a moment while I warn my mate. He'll have to anchor me and he won't be happy about me doing this." Feral said with a grim smile then his eyes lost focus as reached out to Darius.

"_Yes love?" _Darius asked a bit distracted as he was working on some paperwork for IAPA in his temporary office in Megakat City.

"_I need you anchor me while I'm out of body, love." _He said.

Frowning to himself, Darius asked, _"Where are you going?"_

"_Outer space with the SWAT Kats." _Feral said bluntly and flattened his ears at the mental shout from Reon.

"_Why for God's sake?" _Darius asked angrily.

"_I can't explain. I have to do this, now be prepared to anchor me."_Feral said flatly.

Reon grumbled but acquiesced.

Feral came back to himself and saw the SWAT Kats staring at him in fascination. "He's not happy but he's ready so let's be off shall we?"

"After you, Commander." T-Bone said as they walked back to the jet and climbed aboard.

Feral was squeezed in beside Razor as they lifted off. It took twenty minutes for them to reach the upper atmosphere. Razor broke out the breathing masks, giving one to Feral then engaged the speed of heat shield as T-Bone began to breach the stratosphere.

"We're here, Commander!" T-Bone said, his voice muffled behind his face mask.

"Hold your position here, please. I'll be out of touch for a bit." Feral said quietly. He relaxed and focused as he had been taught. He reached for Darius and insured their link was secure before he flung his mind out into space.

This was more scary than just throwing his mind around Aristal. This was the vastness of space with nothing to really hold onto. He firmly pushed away his nervousness about being out here almost alone. The only thing that kept him from panicking was the reassuring link to Darius.

Actually it was fascinating to see the planets in their solar system. He had already moved past their moon and pushed onto the nearest planet he could reach. He began to feel a bit thinned out and decided not to go any further. He looked around for anything that didn't look right. He was about to give it up when a small movement that wasn't an asteroid caught his attention. There circling the small planet near his outpost was a ship. It was alone. He pushed toward it carefully. He suddenly found himself inside it before he realized it. A quick glimpse told him it was their unwelcome visitors then he was hurriedly leaving as fast as he could.

As he pulled back to the moon, he paused and watched the ship. It continued to circle the planet. It didn't seem to have seen him even though they were supposed to be psychic. This supported the scientists belief that the 'worker bees' were not psychic only their leaders who were linked directly to their soldiers. It had been the devices the creatures had used on them that had held them hostage. This was good to know.

Satisfied that he had learned all that he could, he pulled completely back to the Turbokat. He touched Darius' link and met his mate's relieved mental hug. Coming back to himself, he spoke up, startling the SWAT Kats who had been sitting nervously for some time beginning to be worried about Feral as the time passed.

"I'm here! We can go back down now!" He said huskily as a reaction headache threatened to make him throw up. He moaned in pain as the jet quickly made its way to where his hummer was parked.

Worried, the SWAT Kats helped Feral deplane. As soon as he was standing, his stomach rebelled and he dropped to his knees to heave. The SWAT Kats stayed by his side and when he stopped, Razor offered him some water to rinse his mouth out. He was barely able to do that when the absolutely blinding headache finally knocked him out cold. T-Bone caught him before he would have hit face first on the ground.

"Crud! Better take him to the hospital asap buddy. I think he pushed it too far." Razor said in concern.

T-Bone nodded and helped his partner reload Feral aboard the Turbokat again.

"Wonder how far he went. You know Razor, it's really weird to think Feral can throw his mind outside himself like that." T-Bone said as he took the jet into the air and headed for Megakat General.

"Yeah! I heard he's supposed to be the most powerful psychic on the planet. I can't imagine what that must be like." Razor said staring at Feral curiously.

"I would think it would make his sanity a bit questionable." T-Bone opined as he brought the jet down on the helipad of the hospital.

"Don't go there, buddy. He's part of the psychic shield that's going to save our bacon." Razor said.

"Yeah! I know and that just scares me!" His partner said flatly.

They carried Feral off the plan and handed him into the arms of the medical crew waiting. They quickly explained what had happened then took off for home.


	12. Chapter 12

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 12: Visions and Music

It was hours later when Feral regained consciousness. He was hungry and very thirsty. A straw appeared suddenly before him and he sucked on it gratefully. Looking up, he saw his upset mate.

"_Thanks!" _He said mentally.

"_You better have a good explanation for what you just pulled! I was so afraid for you!" _Darius said, doing the same, as he took the cup away and put it down nearby.

"_I'm sorry, Darius, but I just couldn't shake the strong feeling that there was something I had to do. As it was, I found a scout ship lurking out beyond our moon near a small planetoid." _He said grimly.

Darius went pale. _"So they are coming back!" _He said tightly.

"_I've been having premonitions for weeks, this just proved they are indeed near and will be here soon." _Feral said grimly.

"_I know." _Darius sighed heavily. _"So what did you see?"_

Feral gave him a quick synopsis of what he had done and his quick peek into the ship and the fact the aliens didn't see him.

"_Well that certainly corroborates what Kell and IAPA detected when the drones first landed. Time to gear up then. You and I have to rest as much as possible to be ready to put up the shield." _Darius said in resignation.

"_As to that . . . " _Feral started to say hesitantly.

"_What?" _Darius asked sharply, a touch of fear in his voice.

"_I...I've had a particularly disturbing vision twice now. The shield failed." _Feral said, his voice fading out near the end, as he saw growing horror on his mate's face.

"_Gods . . . " _Darius swallowed and was unable to voice what he felt. All their hopes of defeating these creatures was the shield . . . if it failed . . . they faced extinction. The first time they were lucky . . . this time . . . what would save them now. The enemy would surely come in greater numbers this time and take out all the psychics immediately. Their race was doomed.

His mind voice was tight with horror as he stared at his mate. _"Do you see us . . . dying?!" _He could barely say it.

Feral sat very still. All those visions always stopped with the shield shattering and never going on. He didn't know what happened next except for the music. He gasped aloud and stared at Darius, a stray thought floated through his mind. It was part of the puzzle that had been eluding him for some time. He raced after it . . . he wouldn't allow it to get away this time. It was the answer . . . he just knew it.

"_What? What Ulysses? You've seen something?" _Darius demanded urgently reaching out to grab his mate's arms, gripping him tightly.

"_Music . . . " _Feral said distantly, chasing the elusive information while trying to tune out all outside distractions.

"_Huh?!" _Darius blinked in bewilderment. Was his mate losing it?

"_Darius! Leave me be a minute . . . let me think!" _Feral snarled suddenly as he pushed his mate out of his mind.

Darius jerked his paws off Uly as if he'd been burned and was shocked when Uly shoved him out of their link. He had just heard a glimmer of music when his mate locked him out. Thoroughly worried now, he sent an urgent call to Kell.

"_What's wrong Darius?" _Kell answered quickly, sensing a heightened concern in Reon's thought sending.

"_It's Ulysses!" _Darius explained quickly what his mate had done, what he had just revealed, and what was going on now.

"_I'll be there momentarily!" _Kell said tightly and broke their connection.

Kell had sounded alarmed. That wasn't good to hear from a level ten psychic. He wondered if they should contact Argus. This was becoming a dire situation and it seemed they were fast running out of time. He took to pacing the room as he waited for Kell to arrive and for Ulysses to come back from wherever he had gone in his mind.

It was fifteen minutes later, when he sensed Kell's presence getting nearer. Moments later, the small psychic entered the room, a grim look on his face. Kell moved to the bed and stared at Feral but didn't touch him.

He was silent for several minutes before turning to Reon. "He's not come out?" He asked aloud.

Reon shook his head.

"I did a light reading and he's hidden himself somewhere. It's like stepping into a dark room and there's music." Kell said frowning. "It's not like any normal kind of music I've ever heard before either."

"I know! I've heard it several times now and it's . . . I don't know how to describe it . . . but it's soothing and beautiful but very strange." Darius said, scrunching his face as he tried to explain the unexplainable.

"Yes, that's how I hear it too! I'll tell you now, Darius, I've never encountered anything like this. I'm completely out of my depth here." Kell said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I'm feeling too. I was seriously thinking I should contact Argus. This is just too critical and the future of our world is on the line. Especially if the shield fails like Ulysses has seen it do." Reon growled worriedly. "We could be looking at the extinction of our whole race!"

Kell started to answer that when another voice interrupted them. They looked to the bed in surprise. Feral was back with them again and had a strange look in his eyes.

"The aliens used a high frequency form of speech. It's taken me this long to realize it was that frequency that had broken my block. Still, it was just an interesting thing to know until my music began again. It's not music as you are familiar with and as a kitten, I was too young to realize how strange it was. But now, as an adult, I realize the music is from the world around us. The best I can explain it, is I'm able to hear the sounds the world itself makes around us. Everything living and non has a song, a frequency if you will and I'm able to tap into it, convert it to music I can identify with and compose musical pieces using those sounds and actual music we make from instruments and my own singing voice." Feral said trying to explain what his mind was doing.

"That's interesting, Ulysses. But . . . how does this save our world?" Kell asked in confusion.

"Like I said, the aliens use a high frequency sound to communicate. When I analyzed what we had done when Kell had used me to attack the leader, I realized it wasn't just my wild untrained psychic power that had defeated it but my music. The sounds or frequency I use is incompatible with theirs causing them severe pain and eventually death. That is how we defeated them and Kell was right about the hive mind. Kill their leaders and they all die." He said excitedly, now certain he was right as all the pieces fit together in his mind at last after tormenting him for weeks.

Both Kell and Darius gaped at him. It sounded too fantastic but if it worked . . .

"I think we need to discuss this with Argus and the sooner the better." Kell finally said urgently. "Get us transport asap, Darius. We leave as soon as you get it." He ordered. Turning to Ulysses, who stared at him in consternation. "This is far beyond either Reon's or my experience, Ulysses. We need more expert assistance."

"I'm not crazy!" Feral snapped angrily, shoving the blankets off him and preparing to get up.

"And I don't think you are!" Kell said firmly, cooling his student's anger with a warning tap against the tom's shields. "But as I said, this is beyond us. We still need to go to IAPA and have them deal with it. If what you say is true, we have very little time to change our plans to save our planet."

Feral relaxed and nodded his understanding. A great deal was at stake to just take his word for how his abilities could save their world. Everyone needed to work together and find a way to support him as he took on the aliens because he knew he was the only one who could do this and he would need their psychic energies to be able to do something on this magnitude. Actually he was a bit intimidated at the level of energy he would have to generate . . . it was down right scary.

Less than two hours later, they were on a special flight heading for IAPA. Feral had just enough time to pack a bag, call Steele to take over while he was gone and finally, to tell Ms. Briggs of his absence. He was unable to tell her much beyond saying it had to do with saving their world.

He stared at the gradually darkening sky through the plane's window. He was nervous and afraid. He jumped when Darius came to sit next to him after speaking to the pilot. They were on an IAPA mini-jet that only had them as passengers. It showed just how serious the director of IAPA felt the matter was and how quickly he wanted them there.

Darius gently wrapped an arm around his mate and hugged him tightly, pressing his face to the dark tom's cheek and nuzzling it.

"It will be alright, Ulysses. I'll be with you every step of the way. I won't let them pull me from your side." He murmured softly.

Feral sighed and leaned into the contact. Being mated was the best thing that had happened to him since all this had begun. He hoped when this was over, he and Darius could just go away for a short vacation. He knew he was going to need it badly, if he survived this.


	13. Chapter 13

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 13: IAPA Headquarters

As he looked down he could see jagged mountain peaks covered in snow in the moonlight. Moments later a bright light split the night as impossibly huge doors slowly opened just ahead of them. As they reached it, Feral gaped at the size of the flight line that had risen up to meet them.

'What an incredible complex,' He thought in a daze as their jet landed smoothly.

In very little time, the door to the jet was opened and a ladder truck was tucked underneath for them to deplane. Reon hustled both McLeon and his mate through the door and across the expanse of floor for a wide archway. As they passed through, Reon made a sharp right turn down a much smaller hallway then stopped before a bank of elevators.

They climbed aboard and Feral stared at the number of floors shown. Reon pressed level six and the elevator smoothly went down then to Feral's startled surprise it switched and went sideways.

His mate smiled in amusement. The doors opened to a busy floor. Reon led them through the agent's bullpen. Many agents stopped to stare at Feral with intense curiosity. Feral could feel feathery light touches against his shields but no one tried for any deeper contact.

Reon opened a heavy oak door and ushered them in. The reception area was of medium size with huge windows that looked out into the darkness. A small alcove hidden by an ornate screen was against one wall. Before them was the receptionist's desk. It was shaped in a half moon with very modern office equipment to one side. Not far from the desk was another dark wood door which was open. The receptionist was not on duty since it was very late at night.

Reon went to the open door and knocked politely. The huge panther cross sitting at the desk nodded at them. The red tom stepped in followed by Feral then McLeon who closed the door behind them.

Argus gestured for them to sit down. Feral did so very nervously. Even as relatively green as he was, he could feel the power of the director of IAPA. The emerald green eyes studied him keenly.

"Sir, may I introduce my mate, Commander Ulysses Feral." Reon said formally.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Commander. I've been keeping up with your progress . . . most impressive." Argus said politely.

"Thank you, sir." Feral said politely back, firmly sitting on his nervousness. He would not back down from this formidable individual. He had some pride left.

Argus stared at him pensively for a moment. The look was odd to Reon and McLeon. They never recalled seeing him be any less than commanding and certain of himself. He had to be to be Director for some twenty years.

"Ulysses," He said quietly making Feral sit up in startled surprise at the personal address.

"I had a premonition of your existence just before your birth. It was vague as such things are prone to be but what I got from it was that a very important kitten was going to be born. One with unheard of power levels and unusual abilities to fight a coming disaster that would befall our world in the future. I believe you are that kitten and the aliens attack the disaster." Argus said quietly.

Feral gaped at him in shock. "Me?" He finally blurted then blushed at sounding like a kitten.

"Yes! It is very important that we finish your training. McLeon and Reon have done very well to get you this far but now time is slipping away fast and there is much you must know and learn before you're ready to face the greatest challenge of your life. I'm told you hear music? Please explain as best you can what you mean by this." He asked calmly, sitting back in his chair.

Swallowing, a little intimidated, Feral took a deep breath and did his best to explain what he was capable of. It took more than half an hour with the director never interrupting until the end. He asked many probing questions.

Argus went still and his eyes closed to slits as he absorbed the information from this truly unique Kat. No one spoke and the silence pressed down on Feral after a little. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Can you demonstrate a little of it for me now?" Argus finally asked.

Feral's eyes widened. He had not dared to open the hidden area in his mind to anyone. "I'm . . . not sure I can, sir." He said hesitantly.

Argus eyed him silently. "Allow me entrance, Ulysses. If it becomes too much immediately make it known to me."

"Uh . . . I can try, sir." Feral said, still uncertain this was a good idea.

Argus' eyes seem to grow bigger to Feral's sight. He shivered a little as he felt himself drawn into that gaze. A powerful mind gently caressed his shields. It held there waiting for the dark tom to allow it entry. Still afraid of what would happen, Feral released his shield a little. The presence gently touched his mind.

"_Greetings young one, do not fear me. I will not harm you. Let's hear the song of your heart." _It said, caressing his mind with soothing waves of warmth and reassurance.

Feral sighed and relaxed, comforted by that powerful mind. Shyly he let a small door open to his secret heart and out poured music . . . ethereal . . . haunting . . . almost familiar then not . . . Argus could barely understand what he was hearing but what he felt was a beautiful blanket of sound that spread over his soul . . . soothing . . . comforting . . . singing of life and hope. He was enchanted and amazed to hear such a thing from the mind of a mortal Kat. Only Gods should hear such things. Suitably awed by what he was experiencing, he was very reluctant to ask that the door be closed but he strengthened his will and asked politely and gently, _"You may close the door, Ulysses and thank you!" _Feral quickly did so. With a sigh of both relief and regret, Argus departed Feral's mind as smoothly as he had entered.

Feral blinked and stared at the director, no longer nervous but a little awed by the skill of this powerful psychic.

Argus stared back, still shakened by the glimpse into a universe no Kat should be able to hear. They needed to take extreme care with this unique and valuable Kat. His mind could break under the strain and Katkind would suffer the loss of such a gift being lost. They were fortunate, Ulysses Feral was strong willed that would be the only thing that would keep his sanity for what was to come.

"Reon, take your mate to your quarters and help him relax. Later today, we will begin his training." Argus told his agent then he turned to McLeon, "Kell, please stay, I wish to talk to you." He turned his gaze back to Feral. "The next few days will be grueling for you, Ulysses, but it is vitally important that we insure you don't break under the pressure and feel comfortable with your powers. While we train your psychic abilities, you will begin to release your hidden shield and learn as much as you can on how to utilize what God has given you. For those lessons, you will come to me. I am the strongest psychic, next to yourself, we have and perhaps the only one who can guide you on this self-discovery. Get some rest!" He said by way of dismissal.

"Yes sir," Reon and McLeon said in unison.

Reon gestured for Feral to come with him. Bowing his head to the director, the Commander left with his mate. Reon closed the door behind him and led Feral back through the bullpen.

They went to the elevator and Reon pressed the button for level ten. As it got moving, he eyed his mate in concern.

"Are you okay, love?" He asked aloud.

"Uh . . . yeah . . . it was . . . he was soo powerful but . . . I felt safe with him. He made me feel comfortable and cared for like you do except in a grandfatherly way." Feral said thoughtfully.

"Really? I know he's powerful but I've never had the pleasure of anything more than a brief mental contact and that was all business. You are something special." Darius said quietly.

"Oh, I got that alright. He nearly treated me like some precious porcelain treasure." Feral snorted, only a little miffed by that.

"You are the hope of our world, my love. We feel a strong need to protect you. I'm afraid you'll have to get used to that." Darius said with an understanding smile.

"Oh joy!" Feral said a little sarcastically.

The doors to the elevator snapped open and he was greeted by a large area filled with people going about their business. There were shops, eateries, banks, movie theater, game hall, personal services, etc. It looked like a glorified mini mall underground.

"Wow! Some layout." He said in appreciation as his mate walked through the area headed for another bank of elevators.

"Yes, everything to ensure our agents and the support staff don't go bonkers living in such a remote place." Darius said by way of explanation.

"Smart idea!" The dark tom said checking out the shops they passed by then stepped on the elevator that opened for them.

This time they only went a couple of floors. The doors opened to a quiet hall of doors going in two directions. Oddly enough, all the doors were only on one side of the hall. Reon stepped off and lead the way to a door about halfway down the carpeted hall. He unlocked it and went inside, Feral following. It was small but comfortable and he saw their luggage had been delivered and was near the closet.

"It's small but I'm rarely here so it suits my needs." Darius said, shrugging.

Feral noted the huge window. "Do all of these rooms have windows?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, our scientists discovered that all Katkind requires some sunlight for good health." He explained as he went to his mini fridge and found the staff had stocked his fridge with fresh food and drinks. "Want something to drink, love?" He asked looking back at his mate.

"Sure, a milk will be fine." Feral sighed as he flopped down on the bed and continued to look around.

He handed Feral a can of milk and opened one for himself then sat beside him.

"Tired, Uly?" He asked solicitously, using his free paw to caress the big tom's back.

"Yeah, a bit. It's been a long day, almost feels like I've been up two days straight." He said drinking down his milk then yawned widely.

"How about a shower then and I'll do my best to help you get some sleep, hmmm?" Darius murmured as he leaned close and gave Uly a gentle kiss.

"Sounds like an excellent idea," Ulysses purred back.

Putting their cans in the trash, they stripped off their clothes and went into a surprisingly large bathroom. It held a shower large enough to hold two. Feral suspected that was deliberate. The agents spend so much time away that the short times they had at the base meant time spent with a willing agent for some much needed emotional and intimate down time.

Darius got the water the right temperature and stepped in beckoning with his eyes for Ulysses to join him. Smiling eagerly, the dark tom stepped into the hot water and the welcoming arms of his mate.

Darius soaped his paws thoroughly and began a soothing massage starting with Uly's shoulders and working his way down the tense back to the buttocks. He slid his paw just under his mate's tail and slid between his thighs grasping the pendulous sack already beginning to tighten up.

Feral moaned as the incredible sensations Darius was causing with his touches. He wanted to turn around and reciprocate but the red tom refused to let him turn so he spread his legs more and quivered under the delicious assault from his mate.

Smiling wickedly, Darius continued his deep massage of Uly's back then slid his paws to the big tom's front. Starting with the nipples where he pinched each one until they were taut then down the powerful chest to the flat stomach until he took hold of the hardening cock jutting proudly.

Feral panted and pushed his hips toward his mates equally hard pole that was rubbing him between his thighs sending powerful zings of fire up and down his spine.

"Ohh Darius . . . feels soo good . . . oooo . . . please take me . . . I can't wait any longer . . . " he begged eagerly.

"Hmmm . . . yesss . . . I can feel your readiness . . . hard or slow love?" Darius asked in a husky growl.

"Hard!" Came the panted response from his overheated mate.

"As you desire!" Darius purred as he reared back a bit and slid into his mate's hot channel. They groaned in unison at that deep thrust. The red tom felt the incredible sensation of being taken within his own body as he took Ulysses. Such a wonderful feeling.

He set a fast, hard, pace that set them both growling and moaning. Darius took Uly's cock in his paw and matched the rhythm of his cock within his mate's hot channel.

For the next few minutes, all that could be heard was the sound of the shower, grunts, and groans of pleasure. Finally, Feral couldn't take anymore and clenched around Darius. He came hotly, spraying his seed on the shower wall when seconds later, Darius roared as he filled his mate's body.

They stood there trembling and catching their breath for several minutes.

"Okay, time to get out of here before we use up all the hot water." Ulysses sighed as he reached for the soap and quickly washed up. Darius snickered and did the same.

Once they were dried, Darius secured his room and slipped into the bed where Ulysses was already waiting. Sliding in the red tom sighed and slipped his arms around the big tom. Uly's eyes had darkened with lust and Darius found himself being pinned to the mattress with his much larger mate holding him down.

He lay passionate kisses on Darius that left him breathless, grinning wickedly, he moved down his mate's chest and gave loving attention to each nipple. He sucked the right one hard bringing it to a peak then blowing cool air on it making Darius gasp. Moving onto the left, he sucked then nibbled before blowing on it as well.

The sensation was wild as he felt the tension in his own nipples. Everything he did to his mate he felt on his own body . . . it was fantastic and increased the fire he was building between them.

Darius was going crazy with need as Uly nipped and licked down his body until he reached his weeping, hard cock. Here his mate sucked him down like a vacuum and he couldn't help screeching and arching his back into the air. Uly purred in his throat sending lightning up Darius' spine through his cock. He came with a roar. Uly looked very pleased with himself as he licked Darius clean.

Rising up on his knees, Ulysses pulled Darius' legs up to his shoulders and guided his rather large cock to his mate's entry and plunged in to the hilt. The red tom shouted in shock and heated pleasure. Uly set a hard, fast pace as he leaned down to capture his mate's mouth in a deeply passionate kiss.

They climaxed together in their mind and in their bodies. Collapsing but quickly rolling to his side so as not to crush his smaller mate, Ulysses kept his arms around the red tom's body and nuzzled his neck lovingly.

"That was magnificent, my love. You have definitely come a long way from that uncertain tom I first laid with." Darius purred, enjoying the attention.

"Why thank you. I consider that a very high compliment coming from the 'master'." Ulysses' smirked, tongue in cheek.

"Smart ass!" Darius snorted giving his mate a hot kiss in retaliation.

They both came up panting even more since they hadn't had a chance to recover from their hard play.

"Okay, uncle! I'm tired. Let's call it a draw, shall we?" Ulysses sighed feeling sleep sweeping over him.

"Excellent decision!" Darius sighed in agreement drifting asleep snuggled close to his mate.


	14. Chapter 14

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 14: Breakdown

Midmorning, Reon and Feral woke up to a persistent female voice emanating from an intercom on the wall.

"Agent Reon, Commander Feral please report to training room five in one hour." It sang out three times until Reon groggily responded.

"Reon acknowledged." He said and the voice ceased.

"Some wake up call." Feral said in mild annoyance.

"Yeah, I'd forgotten about that...not here much, remember?" Darius said yawning and checking the time. "Oh well, at least they let us sleep about eight hours. Come one love, shower and breakfast."

Sigh "Okay." Feral said flipping the blankets off and heading to the bathroom.

An hour later they were in a closed room that was thoroughly sound proofed and, he learned, prevented any escape of his powers when his shielding was down. McLeon was there as well as two others. Reon introduced them.

"Ulysses, this is Kathryn Gothin and Jarett Randall. They are going to test your abilities first then will go on to more intense training with the shield formation." Darius explained to his mate.

Feral's eyebrows went up in surprise. "But, I told you the shield won't work!"

"The shield will be needed to keep any of the aliens from slipping through while you use your abilities to destroy them. It's just an extra precaution." Dr. Randall said.

"Oh, that certainly makes sense. Will there be enough energy to power both myself and the shield." Feral asked in concern.

"Well, what we're going to try for is having all the populace of our world concentrate on our psychics and lend them their energy. Even nulls, those without any psychic abilities, can give their living energies to boost ours." Dr. Gothin said. "Otherwise, it won't work without that extra pool of power. The Director is already contacting all the world leaders and telling them what they need to do to help save our world."

"Wow! That's a lot of energy...uh...will I be able to channel that much power though?" Feral asked feeling the first stirrings of fear. What they were describing was daunting and scared him witless even though he had known this was exactly what he would have to do. But knowing that didn't make it any easier to accept.

"That's what we're going to find out Feral." Dr. Randall said seriously. "Shall we begin?"

Feral swallowed and took a deep breath. The rest of the day went by in a blur of headache inducing tests that didn't seem to end until he was ready to collapse.

Each day after that became a nightmare of tests and training with the other powerful psychics of the world in link with him.

The scariest lessons though were when he worked with Director Argus. The formidable leader came to the lab and sat with Feral as he carefully assisted the Commander in releasing his music from behind its heavy shielding.

The first time they entered in a meld and Feral opened his inner mind shield, they received such a feedback they both were flattened to the floor in agonizing pain. They had to both go to the infirmary to rest and recover.

The second time, the Director used far more caution and they managed to open the door enough for Feral to begin manipulating the sounds he heard. This was when Argus learned he couldn't be of direct assistance. The only aid he could supply was encouragement and guidance when Feral seemed uncertain or afraid of what he was doing.

Feral's odd talent was too far outside the norm for Argus to be able to completely grasp and he learned not to get to deep or he would become lost in the strange melodies pouring through the dark tom's mind. Even with the advice and help of his top scientists, no one could predict or understand how Feral's incredible ability could be handled or monitored.

In the end, it would be all on Feral as to how he would utilize the energy he would receive from the other psychics and combine it with the music of his inner mind. No one could help him with that. Argus was not happy about it since it brought an unknown variable in their plans to save Aristal but there was no other choice. He was the only thing that stood between annihilation and salvation for them all.

For two weeks Feral went through hell getting ready to defend his world. Sometimes, the responsibility was so great he would curl up in a ball and refuse to move at all. Those times were rare but when it did happen, Darius would demand a halt and isolate his mate and comfort him. They tread a delicate balance of needing him to be trained as fast as possible and frying his brain with overload. It was Darius that bore the worst of the strain as he kept his mate on an even keel.

Because of his nearly constant link with his mate, he was bombarded with the ethereal music taking up space in Ulysses' mind a great deal of the time. Sometimes he would become lost in it and Uly had to pull him free and gently shove his mate out of the link to spare his sanity.

As Feral got a better handle on weaving melodies with the ethereal music he heard, he would unintentionally spill some of it from around his shields. The psychics were treated to concerts of music such as no one had heard before. The staff at IAPA would watch their agents in concern when they would stop what they were doing and stand listening with a sort of dopey smile on their faces whenever Feral was near. Darius had to be trained to increased the strength of his shields so that he could extend them over his mate to prevent the spillage because Feral's mind was to preoccupied with composing to give complete attention to his shields.

Exactly twelve days later a warning was received from Megakat City's observatory. The aliens had been spotted approaching their solar system.

World Leaders were notified, military were put on alert, and all psychics took their posts with a support staff surrounding each of them.

The plan for Feral was completely different from the rest. On a mini jet heading for Megakat City was McLeon, Reon, Director Argus and Feral. The flight was fast and ended on Feral's Enforcer Headquarter's flight line.

A report by the SWAT Kats, who had gone up to take a look above the planet, revealed the enemy had not yet reached their part of the solar system. Estimates looked like they would arrive by early the next morning.

Mayor Manx insisted all parties report to his office so he might hear what the plan was directly from them. Though Director Argus didn't care if the Mayor was informed or not he did need to brief the others involved, namely the SWAT Kats.

Taking a chopper, Feral had them flown to City Hall. The SWAT Kats were already there waiting as were, Dr. Sinian, Professor Hackle, Dr. Langston, Ms. Briggs, Ann Gora (without her camera kat) and Mayor Manx.

Feral had brought along, Steele and the Sergeant. They walked down to Mayor Manx's office from the clock tower landing pad. After quick introductions, Director Argus explained what the plan would be.

"Commander Feral is the focal point for all the energy that will be sent by the world's katizens and the other psychics that will be holding the shield. He has a unique ability that is what took out the aliens last time. To best make use of his abilities, we...that is myself, Agent Reon and Kell McLeon will be transported by the SWAT Kats in their jet. We will orbit our planet so that he is closer to the enemy as they come around our moon. SWAT Kats have you finished modifying your jet to handle the stress of staying in space?" He asked them.

"Yeah, we are going to be able to stay up about two hours. That's the best I could do." Razor told him.

"That should be more than long enough since our shield can only stay up about four hours anyway. We sincerely hope the battle will be ended within an hour. The only responsibility you have SWAT Kats is to get us up there, keep your position, and protect us the best you can while Feral does what he must. We are his support staff. I will be responsible for shielding you two from Feral's mind blast." He told them.

"Well it does sound like you have everything planned as well as you can. The fate of our world is on your shoulder, Commander Feral. Our prayers, hopes, and our minds will be focused on you." Mayor Manx said pompously.

Feral had been too busy training to think much on what he faced when he went into space and faced the aliens. All the energy from the world would be focused through the ring of psychics to him. Now with the Mayor's words ringing in his ears, he felt as if he'd been hit with a baseball bat as the magnitude of what he was daring to attempt finally slammed into his brain.

Sheer terror hit him like an express train, his face drained of color and his eyes grew wide. The three other psychics felt the imminent explosion of emotion and quickly moved forward. Darius wrapped his arms around his mate and clamped down on Uly's voice to prevent the scream about to issue forth and flung his own shield around his mate's suddenly shattering one. Director Argus and McLeon formed a protective shield around them both. Feral's mental wail made the psychics wince in pain and struggle to keep it contained.

The others in the room were stunned by these turn of events. All they saw was Feral looking suddenly pale then the psychics stepping forward hurriedly and surrounding him. His face was quickly hidden in his mate's chest and all they could hear was whimpers.

Feral floundered within his frightened mind then sensing Darius near he reached out desperately for comfort and felt the warmth and love he'd come to rely on so much of late pour into his battered mind. He felt the warmth and gentle encouragement from the Argus and Kell as well.

Thus cushioned, he managed to rein in his panic but still felt overwhelmed and the emotional overload had to go somewhere. He dissolved in tears, his legs collapsed under him but Darius kept his hold on his body and followed him down. The other two reached out a paw and touched him as he sobbed in his mate's arms.

The room was deathly silent except for the ragged sobbing.

"Crud! What the heck happened?" T-Bone whispered to his partner in consternation.

"If I had to guess, buddy, I'd say overload." Razor said grimly.

"Huh?" His partner frowned at him in confusion.

"He's been training for weeks without a break, now its time to do this thing and I think it has finally hit him just what he's about to attempt. I'd be scared witless if I was him so I'm not surprised if he feels completely overwhelmed all of a sudden." Razor explained tersely.

"I think you are absolutely right, Razor." Dr. Sinian said softly watching the tightly clustered psychics. "This is a very dangerous thing the Commander is going to do. His very sanity is on the line."

"It was a very good thing he has other psychics around him when that happened. I'd hate to think what could have happened to us poor bystanders." Callie said ruefully.

"Ohh, please that is a horrible thought. The aliens were bad enough!" Steele muttered.

"Is he going to alright by tomorrow?" Mayor Manx asked fearfully.

"He should be. He needed this! Now that he's getting it out of his system he should be okay!" Razor said with certainty.

"Yes, I quite agree. Though its disconcerting to see the Commander breaking down like this, I'm with Razor, that Feral needed it." Dr. Sinian said in agreement.

"Well he has to be doesn't he? Otherwise we don't stand a chance." Ann Gora said grimly.

Everyone had to agree that was true and prayed that Feral was up to the task.


	15. Chapter 15

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 15: Time for Battle

Feral had been gently helped to the enforcer chopper by the psychics and flown back to Enforcer Headquarters. Lt Commander Steele took command and saw to the comfort of their guests and ensured they received hot meals and were located close to the Commander in temporary quarters within the imposing military building.

Steele insured all stations had been alerted and were standing by for the call to battle when they received word of the aliens proximity to their world. Not many got sleep that night.

Darius eased his mate into slumber that he desperately needed. Around midnight, Feral woke and his mate picked up a phone and had a meal brought up to him.

"How do you feel, love?" He ask solicitously as he hung up the phone.

"Rung out but better." Feral said in a subdued voice.

"Its better to have gotten that out of your system, Uly. Now you'll be able to focus on what you have to do." Darius said. There was a knock on their door and he rose to answer it. An officer held a foam box in his paws. Darius thanked him and took it, closing the door.

He carried it over to Ulysses and went to the bathroom to get him some water. Feral was picking over his food when he returned.

"You have to eat, love. You'll need your strength." Darius chided him gently.

"I know, I'm just not very hungry." Feral said heavily, eating a little more then sitting it aside and accepting the water from Darius.

He sighed and sat down beside Uly and began to rub his back comfortingly. It was obvious his mate didn't want to talk so they sat as he picked at his meal then laid down again to try and sleep. Darius could hear the ethereal music flowing through Uly's mind, relaxing both of them into slumber.

Near dawn the alarm came in, aliens were sighted approaching the moon. Alarms rang out around the world and katizens woke from sound sleep to take up positions in their homes preparing to send what they could to the defenders of their world.

The psychics began to construct the shield as Feral and his companions awaited the arrival of the SWAT Kats. They appeared some five minutes later, landing quickly. The ramp was lowered and they saw the vigilantes had planned carefully for the comfort of their special cargo.

In the center of the cargo hold was a thick pad laid out. On one wall were jump seats for the trip out to space and returning. The pad was for Feral to sit comfortably on while in trance state. The others would sit around him to provide him support and a life line.

Within moments, they were lifting in the air and racing for space. The g's pushed them hard into their seats. As they came out of the stratosphere, the need for masks was negated by Razor making their cargo hold a pressurized area. The pilots still wore masks in the cockpit but they knew this wouldn't be practical for those below.

Over the radio, Razor reported, "We are in orbit, the enemy is just coming around the moon according to our sensors. Time to get to it guys. Good luck, Commander!"

"Roger, hold our position and thanks." Feral said quietly as he and the rest quickly unbuckled themselves from the jumpseats and made themselves comfortable on the pad.

Darius seated himself directly behind Ulysses, resting his paws on his shoulders. McLeon and Argus took up positions on either side of him so that they could place a paw on his knees.

Clearing his mind, Argus quickly linked with all the psychics below. The shield was up and the energy from the katizens of the world were just being felt by all of them. The pressure was enormous as Argus struggled to hold it until Feral was ready.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Feral opened his shields and signaled Argus he was ready for the world link. He grunted as the force of the link hit him hard. The amount of power was frightening but he quickly tamped down on his fear, checked his link with Darius then sent his mind outward using the energy to send him farther than he'd ever gone before.

'_Kat's Alive! There are soo many ships! Thousands of them!' _He exclaimed to his mate as he came into full view of the advancing aliens. Darius made a small noise of dismay. Feral scanned the smaller ships at the forefront and dismissed them as drones. Further back behind this wave of smaller ships were at least ten larger ships.

He carefully scanned the larger ships and immediately connected with pairs of leaders in each ship. He didn't linger long beyond identifying them and in each case there was a startled reaction from the minds he touched.

After taking tally of the number of leaders he could detect, he took a precious moment to send back that he was preparing to engage the enemy. The response was an increase in the energy flow coming from the ring of psychics. He heard his mate whimper a little from the pressure. Feral grit his teeth and channeled the tremendous power into his music. For the first time he set free his ability, holding nothing back.

Despite Argus' efforts at shielding, Feral startled him by suddenly singing aloud as well as in his mind. They were fascinated and awed by Feral's wonderful voice and the music that poured from him. The composition he'd chosen poured out of him in a wave that he directed toward the first set of alien leader's minds. He barely sensed their recoil as his music hit them. There was confusion and shock then panic as the music continued to pound them.

The SWAT Kats watched their instruments in growing horror as the huge fleet continued to come toward them then sighed in relief as the approaching fleet suddenly floundered, no longer heading toward them but circling in confusion then the ships regained control and fled back the way they had come, those that hadn't destroyed themselves in their panic first.

Feral felt the panic rising as he moved from each set of leaders to the next. Their screams as they died rang in his mind but he continued to push on until the retreating enemy was simply too far away for him to follow.

Exhausted, he held his position and watched as the huge alien fleet was decimated and the survivors scurried away in disarray back the way they had come. The pressure in his mind continued to build and he hurriedly sent back that the enemy was routed and to cease the sending. Torturous minutes passed before he was able to finally breath a sigh of relief as the energy returned to normal and the connection dissolved. In the fading moments of the link he was bombarded with joyous cheers of congratulations from the psychics involved.

That had made him feel good but now he needed to return to his body. As he focused on returning by way of his link to Darius he realized the link wasn't there and his connection to his body felt too far away and very thin. He shoved away the rising feeling of panic as he searched for his link to Darius. Several long moments of hunting and his fear began to take hold as he couldn't find his mate.

Some ten minutes earlier..."I can't reach him, he's gone too far for me to maintain the link!" Darius cried aloud in a panic.

"Easy, Darius it's still there just very faint. Kell and I will help boost your link, breathe deep and relax." Argus ordered the upset red tom.

Argus and McLeon had maintained a light link with Darius while they acted as part of the conduit for the power coming from the ring of psychics. Their minds were so wide open and focused, Feral nearly blasted them when he sent back a cease fire...battle won message. Now as the energy from the planet ceased pouring through them, they focused their gradually weakening energy toward Darius boosting his link to Ulysses.

It was with frantic relief that Feral finally saw the link to Darius. He rushed head long toward his mate. Darius moaned aloud with relief as he felt Ulysses grab hold of their link and return with a rush to his body. Now safe at last, Ulysses could only spare a moment for a mental kiss with his mate before his body and mind finally succumbed to exhaustion. Darius hugged him close as he laid his unconscious mate down into his lap. Argus scanned Feral's mind lightly.

"He'll be alright. There's some strain but a lengthy rest will fix him up." He said smiling in relief to the others as he released his link to the Commander. He stood up stiffly and went to the radio.

"Feral is safely returned, SWAT Kats. You can take us back to Enforcer Headquarters now." The Director ordered.

"With pleasure! Be down and on the ground in twenty!" T-Bone said gratefully as he turned the Turbokat back home again.

"Thank you for your assistance. Please note, Feral is unconscious and laying on the pad, so no one is strapped down." Argus warned.

"Roger, understood. Easy ride down, don't worry!" Razor acknowledged.

Argus sat back down beside Feral and gently touched the dark tom.

"He did a great job. I think it would be a good idea if you two took a little vacation. The mental stress he's gone through needs adequate time to heal." He said seriously.

"Yes sir, I quite agree. Somewhere no one can find us and is private. Ulysses recently showed me just such a place." Darius assured his superior.

"Excellent!" He said pleased then his turned to resignation. "It's going to be a media circus once it gets out who was responsible for the aliens leaving. I will hold a press conference while you spirit the Commander away."

"As soon as he's conscious, we'll be gone, sir." Darius said, his fingers caressed the tired face laying in his lap.

T-Bone landed the Turbokat smoothly and lightly onto the flight line. A group of medics led by Steele ran to meet the jet just as Razor lowered the ramp.

As the medics looked over the Commander, Argus told them it was simple exhaustion and over extension of his psychic gifts. He needed quiet and would regain consciousness on his own.

The lead physician nodded his understanding and had Feral lifted onto a gurney. He was hustled through the hangar, loud cheers from his enforcers followed his gurney to the elevators.

He spent two hours in sick bay with Darius at his side. Meanwhile, Director Argus and McLeon went to meet the press. The SWAT Kats had been asked to be there by Ms. Briggs before they could leave for their hangar.

Sighing in resignation, they took the pair of psychics aboard and flew to City Hall. For the next couple of hours while Feral recovered, the press battered the four with questions. Finally, when Director Argus decided they'd given enough of their time, he called a halt to the press conference.

"SWAT Kats could you do us just one more favor?" Director Argus asked the pair privately.

"Sure...what do you need?" T-Bone said not nearly as tired as the psychics were.

"Could you give us a lift to McLeon's place? Fortunately, no one but the university is aware of where he is staying and we both need to rest desperately. I figured, no way would anyone be able to track you." He said in tired amusement.

T-Bone grinned, "You're right there. Hop aboard and give Razor the directions. We'll have you there in minutes."

"Thank you!" Argus said with heartfelt thanks. He and McLeon boarded the Turbokat once more and true to their word, the SWAT Kats delivered them to Kell's cottage in less than ten minutes.


	16. Chapter 16

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 16: A Treasure to be Protected

Darius was reluctant to leave Ulysses' side but he needed to get them ready to leave once the dark tom was conscious again. He contacted Uly's Sergeant and had him stay by his superior's side. Searching Uly's pockets he found his apartment and car keys.

He quickly drove to Ulysses' apartment. In quick succession he found a backpack and packed it with sweats and tees and grabbed a pair of tennis shoes. A few other personal grooming items went in as well. He grabbed a pair of pillows, some blankets and left them and the backpack on the couch. He then packed a bag with some of his clothes as well as a special little box. He rummaged through his mate's cupboards and fridge to collect food stuffs.

Finished in the apartment, he went down to the basement storage area and opened Uly's padlocked unit. Inside he was pleased to find camping gear. He gathered it up and took it to the hummer. He located a box near the trash in good shape and loaded the food stuffs, blankets and pillows in it. Slinging the backpack over his shoulder and picking up the box he left the apartment, insuring it was locked before heading back down to the hummer and loading it.

On his way back to Enforcer Headquarters, he stopped at a convenience store for more food and necessary items then he was on his way once more.

He arrived at the medical floor just as Ulysses was regaining consciousness. He thanked the Sergeant and informed him that the Commander would be on enforced leave for about two weeks to recover. The Sergeant wished them a peaceful vacation and would inform Steele he was in charge for the next two weeks.

Feral groaned and blinked at the ceiling in mild confusion. A familiar face leaned over his and smiled.

"Hi love, how's the head?" Darius asked in a soft voice.

"Ohh, indescribable," Ulysses muttered darkly as he rubbed his head.

"Well the cure for that is getting away from the celebratory hoopla and finding us a very peaceful place to recover...know where we can go?" He asked with a small smirk.

Despite the pain in his head, Feral managed a wane smile. "My secret place?" He murmured.

"Bingo! As a certain SWAT Kat is fond of saying. Director Argus has ordered me to take you away for two weeks. Your second has been informed and I've packed your hummer and locked your apartment. All that's required is for you to get yourself up and we'll be off." Darius said warmly.

"Yes!...Ohhh!" Feral had shouted in pleased anticipation then moaned as his head pounded.

"Ahh...poor kitten...here let me try to ease it a little. Unfortunately, most of it's strain and only rest will ease that." Darius said quietly as he touched his mate on the forehead and carefully poured a little of his energy to ease the pain Uly was feeling. "Is that a little better? I dare not do more or I'll cause a backlash."

"Yes, I least I can dare to get up now." Feral said gritting his teeth as he put his feet down on the floor and eased himself into a standing position.

"Okay, here let me help you with your shoes..." Darius bent over and helped put Uly's boots on then his coat. He stuffed the tie in a pocket then helped his mate make it through the building, down the elevator, and out to the hummer. Buckling Uly into his seat, Darius smiled and quickly hopped into the driver's seat and took off for the outskirts of the city.

Ulysses took the opportunity to nap to ease his head more. It took over an hour and a half for Darius to reach the woods where Uly's secret place was located.

Pulling the hummer into the brush to hide it from view, he left his mate still snoozing and began to carry their camping equipment and supplies to the hidden glen. It took him an hour to haul it all there but soon it was done and he was gently waking his mate.

"We're here love. There's still enough light to set up camp. Let's be off." He encouraged his groggy mate.

He locked the hummer and helped Ulysses navigate the rocky and wooded terrain then slipped them through the crevice.

Ulysses blinked as he saw Darius had already unloaded and carried everything to the glen. Shaking the cobwebs from his brain, he insisted on helping set up camp. In very little time, they had set up a cozy place of their own just as dusk was falling. Darius made them a simple meal then coaxed Ulysses to go lay down while he cleaned their dinner plates and secured their camp for the night. He stripped and crawled into the double sleeping bag next to his already sleeping mate and sighed. It was soo wonderfully peaceful here and it didn't take long for Darius to fall asleep.

It took at least three days before Ulysses didn't feel like the walking dead. He still couldn't handle any mental contact so Darius was careful not to use their link.

Now that Uly could stay awake and hold a conversation without wincing they explored the glen, swam in the small waterfall's pool and made love.

On the fourth day as they were laying naked near the waterfall and letting the warm sun dry their fur from their recent swim, Darius reached for his clothes and removed a small box. From inside he withdrew the bonding ring he had not had a chance to give his mate.

"Ulysses, I have something I wish to give you." He said softly.

Ulysses opened his eyes and blinked up at his mate. He sat up and waited.

Darius took Uly's paw then held out the ring. It's stone flashed brightly in the sunlight. He placed it on his mate's left middle finger.

"This belonged to my father and he passed it on to me. I should have given it to you when we first bonded but with all that was going on there just didn't seem to be an appropriate time to do so. In this perfect place, I knew it was the right time." Darius said smiling warmly into the surprised face of his mate.

"Darius...I...this is beautiful, thank you. I need to get you one. It will take me a bit to find something that could even compare to this." Ulysses said humbly.

"It's not necessary to give me one too, Uly. I've been waiting a long time to find the perfect mate. Even though we were thrown together by circumstances, surprisingly, it worked alright in the end and I couldn't be happier with anyone else but you. I love you!" Darius said with heartfelt sincerity.

"I love you too! I always thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life until you were dropped into it. I don't regret any of it. I feel truly blessed." Ulysses said, feeling happier than he could ever remember.

Darius smiled widely then leaned close and kissed his soul mate deeply.

The vacation seemed to end all too quickly. Soon they were loading the hummer once more for the trip back to the city. They promised each other they would come here as often as they could get away, to relax and be alone.

Once they returned to the city, Feral thought he could get back to work. There was still a lot to be done to finish the repair of the city and tons of reports that had to be poured through and taken care of. He just wanted to get back to normal but that wasn't to be. As soon as he sat down at his desk, his first day back at work, he received an urgent mental call from his mate.

"_Ulysses, we've been summoned to IAPA Headquarters to be debriefed. A jet has been sent for us and will be here sometime before lunch. Better be ready to go! I'll meet you at Megakat International Airport, private jetway 47." _Darius informed him.

"_That's just great! I have so much work waiting for me..." _he started to growl.

"_Don't growl at me, Ulysses. I have a lot of work as well that will have to wait. See you there, don't be late." _Darius cut him off, feeling equally put out by the summons.

Feral continued to growl angrily even after his mate had left their link. He called his Sergeant and told him he was yet again, going to be absent. The Sergeant looked a bit put upon but didn't say anything about it and assured him that he would inform Steele.

The debriefing was grueling and lasted three hours. When they had drained every drop of information from the both of them Feral was allowed to leave and poor Reon had to remain for further debriefing from his point of view and an overview of Megakat City's recovery in general.

He sighed tirededly as he got ready to answer the first of many questions.

In Reon's apartment, Feral sighed in relief to be done with that at last. It was almost as bad as some of the interrogations he'd been in charge of. A nice hot shower would be good right about now. Humming to himself, he stripped and entered the steamy chamber.

Since he had opened all his shields and let the music escape, he'd found himself composing at odd moments. Darius found it utterly captivating when Uly did it on their vacation. He could listen endlessly as Uly sang accompanied by an unearthly orchestra whenever the mood struck him.

Now, feeling safe and happy, he sang while he showered.

In the briefing room, Darius' face took on a look of distant wonder and joy. The Director and his fellow debriefers stared at him in blank astonishment.

Frowning, Argus sent a tendril of psychic energy at Darius' shields to castigate him. In response, Reon cheekily opened his shield and let all those in the room hear what he was listening to.

Expressions of stunned amazement then wonder fell across the faces of his interrogators as they all listened to Feral happily singing to himself. No one said a word or moved as the song filled their minds.

When his mate sang the final note, Darius gently chastised him. Everyone heard Feral's mental blush of embarrassment and apology as he quickly tightened his shields.

Argus cleared his throat self consciously. Feral was truly a unique Kat and one he was very glad to have met. His talent was a gift from heaven and he hoped to be able to hear it often. Perhaps Reon could coax the reticent Commander to record it for the benefit of his fellow psychics. His music had a way of soothing even the most troubled or exhausted mind into relaxing and healing. The value of the talent was worth looking into.

Dr. Gothin, mirrored what the director was thinking when she said, "Agent Reon, your mate would be a great boon to Katkind and to his fellow psychics if he would be willing to record his remarkable music. I can already envision it's use as a medical aid for the mentally unstable or as an aid to soothing a disturbed, injured, or exhausted psychic. This talent would be a wonderful boon."

Reon sighed and frowned a bit. "Ulysses is a very private person. His music is a part of who he is but he's an enforcer first. But... I, too, can see how his music could be very useful in the medical field. I will certainly speak to him about it." He said hesitantly.

"Thank you. I have to say that is a truly remarkable talent of his. I'm embarrassed to admit that I could easily become addicted to it. I envy your luck at being able to hear it all the time. You are a fortunate tom kat." Security Enforcer Leon Stern said with a wistful sigh.

"Aye, such a wonderful voice and the music...it's indescribable. He said it was from the world singing to him, Reon?" Psychic Trainer Tannis MacGregor asked curiously.

"That's what he said, sir. He has a hard time trying to explain something that we as ordinary Kats cannot possibly understand. That brings me to something I am concerned about. Uly treads on the edge of the future at times and loses himself there. His music can lead him away from the norm as well. How do I keep him anchored to the present?" Reon asked the experts in front of him.

"By being the best damn anchor you can be, laddy. I think we need to research everything we can on the last anchor we have on record. However, every situation that has required an anchor in the past was different for every individual. There is no set way to handle it. The best advice is still be as good an anchor as you can. You are his tie to the present and the only one he will heed when he strays beyond our world." He advised solemnly.

"I'm afraid Tannis is right, Darius. You will have to bear this burden to keep our greatest treasure safe and sane and with us. We will advise you the best we can when you need us but you will be mainly on your own because only you will understand the situation better than all of us because you are in his mind all the time." Dr. Gothin said quietly.

"They are correct. The short time I spent in Commander Feral's mind was a serious learning experience for me. I learned quickly that I could not understand him at all. His mind is very much a mystery. He sees and understands things no Kat should be able to see and hear. Take care of him the best you can." Director Argus said heavily.

"Okay, I guess that's all I can do then. I love him and he loves me so I guess that will have to do to keep him in reality." Reon said in resignation.

"Now despite that interesting distraction, we still have many questions to ask, so if you please... MacGregor..." The Director gestured for the trainer to begin the interrogation once more.

Darius groaned inwardly and prepared to be here another hour or more.

Feral was truly embarrassed by his lapse but he didn't dwell on it too much, his music held his attention to well and for the next few hours while Darius was occupied he lay in bed and composed. He didn't know where his life was going from here but he was certain it was going to be very interesting especially with his music that opened new doors for him.


	17. Chapter 17

**PSYCHIC: ALIEN INVASION**

Chapter 17: Epilog

Darius stood quietly to one side of his mate. Feral was carefully probing the mind of a catatonic young teen. He would gently search for the mind that was buried deep within itself and once he connected with that lost soul he would pour his music around it coaxing it to come back to the world outside.

No matter how many times he watched his mate do this, Darius was always awed by it. It had been five years since Ulysses had saved the world from aliens. Since that time he had gradually become comfortable with his abilities and Darius had found a consistent method of keeping his mate safely grounded.

Megakat City had finally recovered from the invasion and as a bonus, was finally free of the siege it had been under by the heavy hitting omegas. With Dark Kat and Viper dead, Turmoil cowed, and the Pastmaster scared off permanently, the more low grade criminals posed no real threat that the enforcers couldn't handle.

The demand for Feral's unique talent in the medical field and in riot/crowd control was such that he had to step down as Chief Enforcer. To his pleasure, Steele had turned into an excellent leader. Feral felt comfortable in turning the reins of command over to him three years after the invasion.

Feral's new duties were with IAPA as a hot spot agent, they used him for only the really big problems. His other duty was his own. His music demanded he use it and he found the perfect use in healing the difficult mental cases that defeated local medicine as he was doing today at the Children's Hospital in the Tanloren Empire.

It had taken Darius, Kell, and Director Argus a very long time to convince Feral that his talents were needed by the world not just in Megakat City. It took even longer for them to convince him of the importance of recording his music.

Of course, the biggest problem they had of accomplishing this was nearly eighty percent of the ethereal sounds he produced were located only in his head. It was Professor Hackle and Dr. Kathryn Gothin who came up with the device Feral would put over his temples. It allowed him to send the music into a specially designed recording device that could translate the sound from his mind into music that anyone could hear and understand.

At the present time, there were over a hundred recordings of Feral's music and he was in the process of cutting a new cd for release in a month. He was known only as Uleria on his cd's. IAPA and Feral didn't want record producers and others to be hounding him or to know who he was.

Feral's identity was kept low key and he and Darius lived exclusively at IAPA Headquarters because he was too well known and couldn't get any privacy and for his own protection. They were given larger quarters with extra insulation against leakage from Feral. Leaving Megakat City was hard for him, he had made Argus promise he could go home on a regular basis so that he and Darius could visit their quiet place and to visit Feral's family.

Ann Gora had overheard a conversation about Feral's special place in the woods and she began a campaign to see that Feral was given that parcel of land for his own. When the public learned of a way to repay the brave Kat for saving their world, there was an outpouring of funds to purchase it.

When Feral was presented with a special award from a grateful world, presented by Mayor Manx and televised around the world, Ann Gora came on stage and presented him with the deed to the parcel containing his special place.

"Please accept this from a grateful world, Commander Feral. Every country on Aristal contributed money to buy this for you. This is the deed for the parcel of land that contains your much needed retreat. Thank you from all of us for what you have done." She said warmly as she handed the deed to a very stunned Ulysses Feral.

"I...don't know what to say...thank you everyone...for this wonderful gift!" Was all he was able to say. Only Darius could see just how overwhelmed he was as unshed tears of joy hovered in his golden eyes

Later he and Darius would build a cozy A-Frame cabin near the waterfall as their retreat. They kept it stocked for the sudden unplanned getaways that became necessary when the pressure became too much for the dark tom.

Except for government leaders, no one knew where Feral could be found. This was to give him better freedom of movement and safety when he was seeing to the needs of the katizens around the world. To disguise his very recognizable profile, he grew his hair out until it reached his shoulders, wore shades a lot to hide his golden eyes, and tended to dress in slacks and polo shirts most days and business suits, if required. It felt strange not being in uniform any longer but Darius loved his longer hair so Ulysses was content.

Though Feral was good at handling unruly mobs, rioting, and stopping civil wars with his special talents, he paid a heavy price using them. Strain and over use were common occurrences for him. Darius was his watch dog ensuring he didn't go too far and getting him the rest he needed when he was exhausted and over extended. Feral usually ended up spending a week or more recovering after a major use of his talent. No one envied his responsibilities and the agency was very scrupulous to take the best of care of their most important agent.

As for his adversaries, the SWAT Kats, IAPA thought they would be extremely useful under their wing instead of on their own. Razor's intelligence and inventive genius was a talent they felt should be used to its max. With Megakat City's omega problem reduced, they didn't have as much to do.

A year after the invasion, they were shocked one day when a high level IAPA agent arrived at the garage. Their real identities has been known by the agency for years. After proving they were aware of who they were, Chance and Jake were offered a chance of a lifetime.

After presenting their offer, the agent left the pair to think it over. To say they were shocked was an understatement but after looking at where their lives were going now that they weren't needed that much, they came to the realization that they weren't ready to give up the super hero gig.

They took the offer and, with IAPA's assistance, paid their debt to the Enforcer. They closed the garage, after finding a reliable replacement for their favorite clients. Callie was upset to see them go. They only told her they were going to take new jobs that paid well and had a lot of travel involved. They promised to visit when they could.

They had to undergo strenuous training that was even more grueling than what they set for themselves. They were stunned to learn they would act as Feral's protectors when he and Darius were away on missions.

When Feral didn't need them, they were where their individual talents were useful. In the labs, Jake was given carte blanc to design all manner of aircrafts, non-lethal weapons, and devices to help katkind. Professor Hackle was offered a position with them and though he was used to working alone the offer was too tempting to resist especially when he was told a certain genius would be working along side him and that none of his projects would be used for war. As for Chance, he got to do what he did best...fly. He was test pilot for Jake and Hackle's new designs. He was happier than he'd ever been in his life and so was his partner.

When they were on 'duty' they were called T-Bone and Razor. Their real identities were kept within IAPA. Their lives were more exciting and rewarding despite still having to work with Feral at times. Even there, things had changed dramatically. As Feral's primary protectors they were responsible for flying Feral and Reon to their missions, acted as their bodyguards, and seeing that they returned home safely. After watching Feral work and seeing just how exhausting it was for him, T-Bone and Razor gained a new respect for the former Chief Enforcer

Today they had brought him to this hospital to perform healing on a mentally damaged patient. As he pulled back out of the young mind, the teen lying in the hospital bed opened his eyes for the first time in two years. His mother cried tears of joy when her son looked at her.

Feral swayed a little on his feet and Darius was quick to wrap a steadying arm around his waist. The mother hugged the big tom, deeply grateful for getting her son back, before turning back to her son.

The pair slipped out of the room without being noticed. The doctor thanked him profusely, Feral merely smiled and nodded then with Dairus' aid made a fast exit. Waiting, watchfully nearby was Razor, who nodded and held the elevator open for them then got on and sent the car to the roof.

"Everything go okay?" He asked.

"Yeah! Kitten's going to be okay." Feral muttered tirededly.

"Great. We'll get you home in an hour." Razor promised noting Feral's pallor. Healing seemed to take an even greater toll on the big tom then controlling crowds.

When the elevator doors opened, Feral and Darius held back while Razor checked around first. At first, Feral had a difficult time letting others protect him since as Chief Enforcer he was used to being in the forefront. But Director Argus had firmly warned him that he was far too important to the safety of the world so he better get used to being guarded. He grumbled about it but obeyed.

Razor signaled it was safe and lead the way to the door that lead to the roof helicopter pad.

The newly designed Turbokat sat waiting with T-Bone at the controls. The ramp was down and Razor quickly hustled them into the jet and into their seats. The cinnamon tom had designed and installed the seats to ensure Feral and Darius would be comfortable on long trips. The ramp closed and Razor climbed up to the cockpit.

"All secured, take us home T-Bone." Razor ordered.

"Roger!" T-Bone acknowledged as he lifted the jet into the sky and headed back to headquarters. "Things go alright?" He asked his partner.

"Yeah, Feral said the kitten's going to be okay but he looks like death warmed over. Must have been a really deep probe." Razor said.

"Crud! Think we'll have to carry him out again?" He asked in concern.

"Don't know! Darius was helping him...it's a possibility especially since he's not had time to really recover from the riot in Standifur Bay." Razor answered.

"I wouldn't be him for all the catnip in the world." T-Bone said fervently.

"Heh! Me neither!" Razor said in heartfelt agreement.

In the hold, Darius leaned toward his mate who had his eyes closed. "How you holding up, love?" He asked solicitously.

"Hmmm, like I could use a very long time in a quiet place." Feral rumbled in exhaustion.

"Then I'll demand a break. Want to go now? I can ask the guys to take us there?" Darius murmured questioningly.

"Yesss..." The tom answered slipping into much needed sleep.

Darius cued the intercom, "Hey guys! Change of plans. Take us to Feral's Place."

T-Bone blinked in surprise but answered, "You sure?"

"Yes, Uly is burned out and needs rest. I'll deal with the Director." Darius said flatly.

"Okay, good enough for me. Settle back this will take two hours." T-Bone told him and changed course.

"Thanks!" He said and decided to nap with Uly.

"I guess you better warn home of our change in destination, buddy." T-Bone told his partner.

"Roger, already doing it." Razor acknowledged.

The Turbokat flew toward the west and headed for the sanctuary that was simply called Feral's Place.


End file.
